DOT to Consider Ban on In-Flight Calls

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Just as the FCC voted to consider lifting its ban on cell phone use on aircraft, enter the Department of Transportation to slam the door in your face once again. Citing building opposition by consumers for passengers talking on cellphones the entire flight, the DOT wants to look into the proposal a little more in depth.

Many people consider the idea of cell phone conversations annoying in the close confines of a plane, and some are casting it as a consumer rights issue.
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People addicted to their phones are annoying, but people addicted to their phones that can't use them and insist on talking to other people near them might be worse. Either way, it's a people problem so just disallow people on flights and the problem goes away.
 
I can see how this could be irritating in small confines. I can also see this getting out of control quick as a lot of addicted cell phone users have to be on their phones almost every moment. It would almost be a competition of who can talk the most to show how important they are. Take a look around, you can see this no matter where you go. I'm for keep cellphone use off of flights.
 
I hardly think the department of transportation should be able to determine what private airlines do because it's "annoying"
 
I don't think we should be legislating/codifying what amounts to good manners. What ever happened to public shaming and the kind of peer pressure that inclines one to behave politely in the company of others in a civilized society?
 
Idiots dont care and will talk anywhere without regards to others.
It's a me me me world out there thanks to reality TV.
Restaurants and movie theaters there is always some idiot on the phone disrupting me.
 
cj3waker said:
I hardly think the department of transportation should be able to determine what private airlines do because it's "annoying"
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I hardly think you have any idea how airlines work. They are owned by private corporations yes, but they are closer to a public service because the government owns the airspace and the rights to operate in it. The airlines are allowed to operate within, as long as they observe the rules and laws. Therefore DOT is completely within bounds of making this decision.

That is not my personal opinion, just how it is. Do I think that cell phones should be allowed on flights? I see no technical problem but I must agree that it would prove annoying if everyone was doing it. There is nothing wrong with classifying an airplane as a "quiet zone". This is a social problem brought on by technology.
 
Allow texting, but no calls. Alternatively have a cell phone section at the back of the plane that's separated from the rest of the passengers by a partition. They can charge extra for the bad seats that nobody else wants.
 
Kueller said:
I don't think we should be legislating/codifying what amounts to good manners. What ever happened to public shaming and the kind of peer pressure that inclines one to behave politely in the company of others in a civilized society?
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And you would expect that to happen in middle of a flight? Imagine a hard headed arguing about his/her rights, while disregarding the rights of others? Oh, a great recipe for air rage.
If people showed moderation and discretion it would not be a problem.
 
Install sirens that go off when their console detects a certain decible from speaking, similar to the lunk alarms at PF :p
 
I don't mind if people use their phone on flight, but I would mind if they were talking and making noise. When I'm on a flight, I want as much peace and quiet as possible. The screaming kids and crying baby are already enough.
 
Surely we can just rely on peoples consideration, self awareness and common courtesy for their fellow travelers without having to resort to such draconian measures.

Hahahahahhaha.

Ban away.
 
nilepez said:
Allow texting, but no calls. Alternatively have a cell phone section at the back of the plane that's separated from the rest of the passengers by a partition. They can charge extra for the bad seats that nobody else wants.
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Yeah away where i can't hear them. If i'm sitting in coach already cramped because i'm 6'3" and don't fit in those seats; with a baby and some jackass talking on his phone the whole time. I'll probably just end up breaking that phone in half.
 
I'm all for this ban, otherwise it's just another public place where I have to have my earbuds in my head.
 
WhiteRice said:
I'm all for this ban, otherwise it's just another public place where I have to have my earbuds in my head.
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Heh, I always have IEMs on when I'm on a plane. I've got lots of time to kill, might as well listen to some good tunes while I play some game on my phone or tablet.
 
Reloadin said:
Surely we can just rely on peoples consideration, self awareness and common courtesy for their fellow travelers without having to resort to such draconian measures.

Hahahahahhaha.

Ban away.
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And clearly with people like you, such bans are "necessary". :rolleyes:

How about people just confront someone and not be such a big fucking baby about needing the government to protect you from annoyances?
 
Stiletto said:
How about people just confront someone and not be such a big fucking baby about needing the government to protect you from annoyances?
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Someone already answered this:
aShrubbery! said:
And you would expect that to happen in middle of a flight? Imagine a hard headed arguing about his/her rights, while disregarding the rights of others? Oh, a great recipe for air rage.
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Confrontation on an airplane is simply impractical.
 
First time I have ever loved DoT. The douchebaggery of people that want this is a totally new level of douchebaggery.
 
Stiletto said:
And clearly with people like you, such bans are "necessary". :rolleyes:

How about people just confront someone and not be such a big fucking baby about needing the government to protect you from annoyances?
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Really!?!? :rolleyes:
:rolleyes:
:rolleyes:
 
Stiletto said:
And clearly with people like you, such bans are "necessary". :rolleyes:

How about people just confront someone and not be such a big fucking baby about needing the government to protect you from annoyances?
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You're part of the problem.
 
I have never, ever heard an intelligent cell phone conversation in public.
 
I'm amazed at how many people actually think cell phones work at 30k ft.
 
I understand the sentiment, but if we start passing laws to outlaw "annoyance", just think where that could go. Especially under the current administration.
 
On your average middle of the day flight of 5 hours or less, I can't see it being that bad. On flights where people want to sleep, I can see the two people on the plane who think they can out shout a crappy signal being really popular. If it were a restaurant, you'd just toss them out. A plane makes enforcing any kind of meaningful consequences difficult.

About the only way I could see of doing it, maybe, is to have terms attached to the ticket where you pay a cell phone use fee that allows you to obey the rules, and if you break them they get to bill you for $500. If you don't pay the fee, you agree to not talk on your cell phone, and the ticket contract allows them to bill you $500 if you use one at all.
 
There are special times where a person does need to make a quick call or two in order to make changes to their transportation needs. Well, maybe not a call, usually a few text messages will suffice but in such cases there should be a way to do it and not bother others.

I propose a vacuum sealed helmet so that no one can here you talking. A Mic inside the helmet transmits what your saying to you phone for transmission and there are speakers inside so you can hear.

It can double as a flotation device in a emergency :D
 
Sounds like a good idea to me. I consider myself a very calm and happy person, but if I have to sit next to somebody yakking on their cell phone on a long flight, I may just rage.

To the individual worried about the government legislating courtesy, don't you think you're being a tad paranoid? Common, this isn't some slippery slope into an authoritarian state here. It's a perfectly good rule that I think very few will have any issue adhering to.
 
raz-0 said:
On your average middle of the day flight of 5 hours or less, I can't see it being that bad. On flights where people want to sleep, I can see the two people on the plane who think they can out shout a crappy signal being really popular. If it were a restaurant, you'd just toss them out. A plane makes enforcing any kind of meaningful consequences difficult.

About the only way I could see of doing it, maybe, is to have terms attached to the ticket where you pay a cell phone use fee that allows you to obey the rules, and if you break them they get to bill you for $500. If you don't pay the fee, you agree to not talk on your cell phone, and the ticket contract allows them to bill you $500 if you use one at all.
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Now THIS would make sense. Unfortunately, it seems that allowing private businesses to set their own rules to ensure minimal disagreements between customers is unthinkable in the face of government diktat.
 
I have a radical idea.

Let the individual airlines decide what they want to do.

Nevermind, this is America.
 
Reloadin said:
You're part of the problem.
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No. That would be you.

He's not saying jump up in Talky McDouche's face and call him a raging assclown for talking on a phone. He's saying if someone is being disruptive, to let them know they're actually being too loud and that it's disturbing someone. You can actually tell someone that and be polite about it. Crazy, right? Believe it or not, someone with enough balls in modern society to actually call out a stranger's bad behavior doesn't have to be an ass by nature.

But no, we've been told our entire lives to avoid all conflict, relinquish responsibility to any and all authority and remove ourselves from any accountability because 'The Rules' say so. So while we're at it, let's just keep legislating everyone into being passive aggressive suppressed-rageaholics whose only recourse is to whine about Talky McDouche's incessant mid-flight yammering on Twitter #DOT #OMG #FML #KILLMENOW #YOLO
 
DiabloRojo said:
No. That would be you.

He's not saying jump up in Talky McDouche's face and call him a raging assclown for talking on a phone. He's saying if someone is being disruptive, to let them know they're actually being too loud and that it's disturbing someone. You can actually tell someone that and be polite about it. Crazy, right? Believe it or not, someone with enough balls in modern society to actually call out a stranger's bad behavior doesn't have to be an ass by nature.

But no, we've been told our entire lives to avoid all conflict, relinquish responsibility to any and all authority and remove ourselves from any accountability because 'The Rules' say so. So while we're at it, let's just keep legislating everyone into being passive aggressive suppressed-rageaholics whose only recourse is to whine about Talky McDouche's incessant mid-flight yammering on Twitter #DOT #OMG #FML #KILLMENOW #YOLO
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slow_clap_citizen_kane.gif
 
The best method would just have the airlines update their little pre-flight videos to show that people should refrain from making calls during the flight, for the consideration of other passengers - just like a movie.

However in reality, sure you can get cell service here-and-there during a flight, but I've never had a signal show up for more than a minute, or anything close enough to make a call longer than a couple sentences.
 
Rojo, you're right, it is easier when there is a rule in place. That is the point, avoiding conflict in flight is a good thing. What if the person beside you simply ignores you and continues to talk the next few hours. You just would have to deal with it, as there is no rule in place.

There is basically unanimous agreement that talking on a phone beside somebody on a plane is 'douchy' and a potential source of conflict (in one of the worst places to have conflict) yet some of you are so paranoid of anything to do with government that just you just refuse to accept it regardless of how much sense it makes. Tell me, what is the harm in something like this?
 
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