Phones on a plane

Editor's note: On Call runs every two weeks and alternates between answering your questions and discussing hot-button issues for cell phone users.

Over the past year there's been a lot of discussion about allowing cell phone use on airplanes. For the moment, cell phone use remains banned on flights, which leaves airplanes as one of the few places where you truly can be completely out of touch for a few hours. I admit I sort of like the feeling, but as more airlines float the idea of in-flight cell phone use, our quiet reality may change before too long. Personally, I'm not a fan of the concept. I'm not being a Luddite by any means; I just don't savor the idea of sharing a small space with people talking away on their phones. No matter what anyone says, talking on a cell phone is not like talking to the person next to you. Not only do people on a cell phone talk louder but their conversations always seem to be so dreary. And I don't think I'm alone here. Most of the people on our Make the Call forum answered with a resounding "No" when asked if phones should be allowed on airplane flights.

So how did this all get started? Last August, Qantas and Ryanair were two of the first airlines to announce they were considering allowing limited cell phone on their planes. Those announcements sparked a bit of hubbub but we didn't hear anything more until last April, when Qantas, Ryanair, and Emirates said they would implement programs sometime this year to allow text messaging only while onboard. In Qantas' case, it will select one Boeing 767 as the test aircraft for the three-month trial, which will apply only to domestic flights. If the trial is successful, and the airline determines that cell phones don't interfere with navigational and communications systems, Qantas may expand cell phone use to all its flights and aircraft.

Shortly after the Qantas announcement, Air France announced its own trial program. It will allow passengers to use their mobiles while in the air for not only text messaging but also for making calls. Like Qantas, Air France will run the trial on just one aircraft (in this case a short-haul Airbus A318) but the French program will run for six months. At the end of each flight, passengers will fill out a questionnaire for feedback on the service. I wonder if one of the questions will be, "Did you want to shove that person sitting next to you out the window?" Yet the talking won't come cheap. Since cell phone towers don't reach 35,000 feet into the air, the cellular signals will be converted into satellite communications that will vault into space and then connect to a ground network. Consequently, calls could cost up to $2.50, which could deter a lot of chatterboxes.

Here in the United States, Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman said in April that texting could have a future in American skies. He also said listening to voice mail could be allowed, as long as ringtones and message alerts are silenced. Voice calls would still be prohibited, so you'll be able to enjoy your blue potato chips in relative peace and quiet. Neeleman didn't say when, or even if, his airline would start a test program for in-flight texting, though.

So what does the future hold? It's difficult to say at the moment, considering policies can differ depending on where you're flying. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission continue to support the ban, which dates back to 1991. Back in April the FCC ended a two-year investigation into the ban by saying it still hadn't received enough technical information to prove that using cell phones and other gadgets doesn't interfere with an aircraft's navigation and communication systems. The FAA is still conducting a similar study but I'd be surprised if they recommended anything different.

European skies may soon be a different story, however. In June, the European Union's equivalent to the FAA approved a plan by Airbus to bring cell phone use to the skies. Developed in partnership with a company called SITA, the OnAir system will allow passengers to send and receive not only e-mails and text messages but also full-blown voice calls. There's no indication of when the service will commence but Airbus said it will be available only on intra-European flights on the aircraft manufacturer's smaller planes, such as the Airbus A320. Also, cabin crew will purportedly be able to activate a "voice-off" setting that will permit messaging only.

Of course the real question is whether cell phones really interfere with an airplane's avionics. After all, that's the big reason for the ban in the first place. Yet like with cell phone radiation there seem to be no credible, replicated studies that show phone do cause trouble. And likewise, outside of a MythBusters episode, there don't seem to be many studies that show they don't interfere, either. I don't buy the "airlines are trying to protect the Airfone industry" conspiracy. Could the industry just be playing it safe? Maybe so. Tell me what you think below.