Mobile voice calls on flights: not a good idea
It was repeatedly in the news in the past week: the European Union expects the number of aircraft equipped to allow passengers to safely make voice calls during flights will double by next year. I wrote an article about mobile voice calls on planes (see: “[NO] to mobile voice calls on planes”) several weeks ago in which I voiced my view of this development. To be honest, I find it worrying. I can see why airlines would like to provide such services. They could certainly do with the additional income. However, though some passengers may find the service useful, I believe most passengers (like me) consider an airplane cabin as an oasis: a place to quietly reflect, rest, read a book or have a chat with a fellow traveller. Allowing mobile voice calls would obviously spell the end of the serenity on board and result in an ever increasing number of disgruntled passengers.
In my previous article, I cheered airlines which introduced WiFi on board. I’ve since taken a step back on that after hearing that iPhone and iPod Touch users can make voice calls via Skype on planes fitted with WiFi!
A variety of polls currently show that a majority of people are against voice calls (three cheers for that!) but certain airlines are still forging ahead with their plans. Ryanair, bmi, Emirates and TAP Portugal already offer these services. Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and a host of other Asian airlines will soon follow. It’s becoming more evident that this development is gaining momentum and will soon be irreversible unless governments or the aviation authorities intervene (to protect our mental well-being!) or airlines start paying attention to public opinion and come to their senses! If banning it altogether is out of the question, maybe airlines should consider introducing special call areas on board where passengers can go to make a call. If all that fails, then hopefully the high charges involved in making a voice call (Ryanair charges EUR 3 a minute) would discourage people from reaching for their phones.
What do you think? Please share your view by participating in the poll below or leaving a comment.
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from → Airlines & Planes, General
Thanks Rich! Looking at it that way, I guess longer phone conversations could translate into more 1 cent fares for others
I recently bought a pair of those noise-reducing headphones from Bose. They certainly help too!
Granted, the sound of someone shrieking ‘I’m on the plane!” into their phone could quickly prove annoying to those of us who relish a quiet flight.
But not so annoying that I wouldn’t be able to cope if I knew the blabbermouth next to me was subsidising my €0.01 fare.
Thank you for your comment Darren. I agree with you, it will be less of an issue on short-haul flights than on long-haul.
For short haul flights I can see it not being much of an issue, especially, if you think of the price the likes of Ryanair are charging for these in-flight phone calls.
My issue is with long haul flights where you just want to get your head down and have a sleep, or just close your eyes and relax – the last thing you want is someone to be having a mobile phone conversation.
I know sometimes when I have travelled on the train, you find some people are on the phone for hours talking to business colleagues, family and friends.
Hi Stephan,
Thank you for your comment. By the way, congratulations with the Air Asia contract! I sat next to a passenger once who made a call from his seat. As a consequence of the noise level in the cabin (we were seated just behind the wing), he was close to shouting into the phone and I found that highly irritating. I must admit that it was an in-seat phone and not a mobile so I cannot say if there is a big difference between the two. In that sense, you are right, I should give it a try (with mobiles) before knocking it.
I recognise that this is an irreversible development as people increasingly want to stay connected wherever they are. I have no qualms about the introduction of internet or sending text messages on board. I am, however, concerned about the impact of voice calls on our flying experience. As it is, passengers already have to put up with crying babies, screaming kids, lousy food, sometimes the overweight. Voice calls (even if voices don’t travel as far in an aircraft cabin) may add to already increasing irritation, and the fact that passengers are cooped-up in a pressurised cabin 11km in the air over a great distance doesn’t really help. In light of the increasing number of planes that will be mobile-ready in the next year or so, I urge airlines to at least either create separate calling areas or promote a certain code of conduct to minimise irritation to the person seated next to the caller.
I suggest you go on a flight a give it a try. You will then realize that it is a total non issue. People forget how high the normal noise level is on any jet. Even some of the most critical UK journalists changed their mindes about voice onboard after their first flight. OnAir has operated more than 10,000 commercial flights and we have yet to see a written complaint to any of the airlines we serve.