Federal regulators are considering approving the use of cell phones in flight, but flight attendants are not happy about the prospects of loosing the last bastion of peace. The Professional Flight Attendants Association (PFAA) is urging its 11,000 members to write the Federal Communications Commission to oppose an end to the federal agency’s in-flight cell phone ban, or at least urge a most cautious relaxation of it.
The union’s biggest concern is that passengers would be talking on their phones and miss important safety instructions from flight attendants.
Earlier this year, a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found that nearly 70 percent of frequent or occasional fliers want the feds to maintain the ban.
No matter what the FCC does, however, smart airlines still won’t allow cellular chat in flight, said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, which represents major corporate purchasers of travel services, reports The Seattle Times.
“They won’t touch it with a 100-foot fuselage,” he said. Mitchell noted that on some routes, Amtrak has established quiet trains, where folks are expected to stay off their cell phones. But how could such a strategy be adapted for a plane?
Pricing, to be sure, is another issue to be determined. Travelers should expect to pay some premium roaming charge for in-flight talk.
