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Mobile Phone Use Soon To Be Allowed On European Flights

Posted by Soulskill on from the for-questionable-values-of-"soon" dept.

New submitter jchevali writes: The BBC reports that mobile phone use on European flights is soon to be allowed. This follows official safety agency findings that their use on the aircraft really poses no risk. Details on the implementation and the timeline for changes will depend on each individual airline.

13 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. I'd pay for a non-phone flight by scsirob · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Having the screaming kids or the fat, sweaty guy next to you is bad enough. Last thing I want is 200 people yapping on their mobile for several hours. Time to start 'Quiet Airlines', no-go for kids and phones.

    --
    To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
    1. Re:I'd pay for a non-phone flight by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 2

      No kidding. People talk loud enough on their phones in quiet places. They'll be shouting over the engine noise on a plane.

    2. Re:I'd pay for a non-phone flight by itzly · · Score: 2

      Possibly, but knowing airlines, they'll charge outrageous prices, so this will still stop most people from endless yapping. Airlines have had in-seat phones for as long as I can remember, and in my dozens of flights, I have not once seen anybody actually use them.

    3. Re: I'd pay for a non-phone flight by kevinbr · · Score: 3, Informative

      I've sent iMessages at 5000 meters over Ghana. Record. Kenya was 2500 meters. Heathrow sucks. Nice is ok. Zurich terrible - 600 meters

      My trivial hobby.

    4. Re:I'd pay for a non-phone flight by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      Having the screaming kids or the fat, sweaty guy next to you is bad enough. Last thing I want is 200 people yapping on their mobile for several hours.

      When someone next to you talks on the phone, it's a hilarious opportunity to fill in the parts of the conversation you can't hear with whatever you want — at the same volume they are using. Bonus points if their mic picks you up and actually mutes whoever they are actually listening to. Double extra bonus points if they become violent, especially since you're on a plane and they'll be headed to federal PMITA prison.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Suddenoutbreakofcommonsense by feufeu · · Score: 2

    Sadly the tag has vanished from ./ quite a long time ago or the editor forgot to put it here today.

    Considering how many people foget to switch their phone off every day and how much reception of texts or data packets takes places while it's in their pocket, I've always foud it quite astounding that obviously no plane has aver fallen from the sky and it was still considered being a security risk...

    That said, social aspects of the issue set aside.

  3. Hopefully data only by Jack+Malmostoso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As long as voice isn't enabled I don't have a problem with that. I recently tried wifi on a long haul flight and was quite impressed with the speed of the service. I can see how people might want to have data connection up up in the air (albeit one has to see the extortionate roaming prices airlines will come up with!).

    But voice? No thank you. It would quickly become a safety issue because passengers would assault each other.

    1. Re:Hopefully data only by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Insightful

      From which uncivilized backwater do you hail that teaches its citizens to assault nearby people for having a conversation?

      The same one that pitches airline seats just 30 inches apart. The rules of common courtesy tend to grind to a halt once you're inside someone's personal space, be it physical or acoustic.

    2. Re:Hopefully data only by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      > But voice? No thank you. It would quickly become a safety issue because passengers would assault each other.

      From which uncivilized backwater do you hail that teaches its citizens to assault nearby people for having a conversation?

      You haven't been on an airplane lately? They've become the Bus stations of today.

      Personal violence is pointless. Much better is to make your own noise. Perhaps a group sing, or as I did one time at work when some asswipe was in the bathroom stall beside me, Yakking away on his phone. Just made awesome grunting sounds, a real loud sigh and declaration that was the best shit I'd had in weeks.

      He got the message and hung up. I hope he washed his phone off too.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  4. Glad this is happening, shame it took so long by jedrek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm glad this is happening, and it's shame it took so long - or was ever introduced, really. Stuff like this hurts the public's perception of science. Everybody knew this was bullshit.

    There are about 28,000 flights in Europe every day of the year and about 1.2 cell phones for every European. I doubt I've been on a plane in the past 5 years where every passenger over the age of 15 didn't have a phone. I like to think that I'm pretty good about turning my phone off (to airplane mode at least), but I've still managed to forget once during the ~30 flights I've been on in the past 4-5 years. Extrapolate that out, and it's obvious that if a phone could affect a flight, we'd be seeing cases every day. Terrorists would sneak phones onto planes to take them down.

    Your average Joe sees "science" being used to support limits on cell phones, they know they're bullshit, so the next time they hear another "science-based" bit of info that goes against their comfort, they'll just ignore it too. Why would they bother, "science" is just BS anyway.

  5. Profit by hedleyroos · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm buying stock in companies that manufacture noise cancellation headphones. Last thing I want is someone in close proximity talking on a phone.

  6. Re: And has been a fact ever since the beginning. by kevinbr · · Score: 2

    People already sit with other and blabber. They even bring kids that ..... Cry. Music leaks out of headphones. Fact is an airplane is not an optimal place for quiet. Oh yeah people scream in air pockets.

  7. We've really gotten wrapped around the axle by ai4px · · Score: 2

    We've really gotten wrapped around the axle on this whole electronic devices on aircraft thing. The local oscillator of an ordinary FM radio receiver is 10.7mhz above the indicated frequency... which makes 100mhz on your FM dial 110.7mhz... which meant there was a carrier in the middle of the COM/NAV band that aircraft use. So we had to (understandably) prevent FM radios from operating on aircraft. But thru the years it has turned into all electronics. It's like the "five monkeys with bananas and water" experiment gone wrong. We've gotten so wrapped around no electronics we forgot WHY.