‘Talking sections’ could be set up for passengers who want to make in-flight calls on mobile devices.
The idea has been mooted by Blake Fleetwood, writing in the Huffington Post.
In his article, he says: "Airlines love their ancillary fees. A ‘talking section’ of an aircraft may not be too far in the future."
Fleetwood says the 48% of Americans who are "up in arms" about plans to allow extending the use of mobile devices during flights, have nothing to fear.
He claims: "Most Middle East airlines and a few in Asia and Europe already allow voice calls on planes, and guess what? They don’t take advantage of that privilege all that often.
"An FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) study released last year found that in-flight calls ranged from 2% of all passengers in France and .3 passengers per flight in Brazil, with an average call length of a mere two minutes."
Fleetwood adds: "We live in an era where people are calling less and less and texting more and more. If people aren’t calling on the ground anymore, what makes you think they’ll start calling on an aircraft?
"Americans have long associated time with money. So what’s a better use of your time: watching limited in-flight entertainment or having the freedom to spend it as you choose – emailing your boss, texting to check up on the kids, streaming content of your choice on Netflix or Hulu, to name a few."
Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox said he shared "concerns raised by airlines, travelers, flight attendants, members of Congress and others who are all troubled over the idea of passengers talking on cell phones in flight".
But Fleetwood believes: "For those afraid of inevitable voice-calling on planes, rest assured – it can be regulated."
