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Airlines to decided if cellphones will be allowed in flight

Old concerns about electronics being a danger to airplane navigation
have been debunked. And airlines could make some extra cash charging
passengers to call a loved one from 35,000 feet. But that extra money
might not be worth the backlash from fliers who view overly chatty
neighbours as another inconvenience to go along with smaller seats and
stuffed overhead bins.

"Common courtesy goes out the window when people step in that metal
tube," says James Patrick II, a frequent flier from Newnan, Ga. "You
think the debates and fistfights over reclining the seat back was bad.
Wait until guys start slugging it out over someone talking too loud on
the phone."

That's one of the reasons the country's largest flight attendant union
has come out against allowing calls in flight. The FCC is proposing to
lift an existing ban, and airlines would have to decide whether to let
passengers make calls. The ban would remain in effect during takeoff and
landing.

Delta Air Lines is the only major airline to explicitly state that
voice calls won't be allowed on its flights, even if the FCC allows it.
Delta says years of feedback from customers show "the overwhelming
sentiment" is to continue prohibiting calls.

Other airlines aren't as firm.

United Airlines says that if the FCC changes its rules, "we will study
it along with feedback from customers and crews." American Airlines has
offered a similar approach. So has JetBlue, which says it would "welcome
the opportunity to explore" voice calls but "would prioritize making
the cabin comfortable and welcoming for all."

Confused yet?

Well, to complicate matters even more, the airlines actually don't need
to wait for the FCC. Yes, the government would need to remove the
restriction for you to make normal calls in flight. But there are
already plenty of ways to make calls legally over airline Wi-Fi
networks, while keeping your phone in "airplane mode." The airlines just
choose to block such calls.

Just as many schools and workplaces block access to pornography
websites, airlines use similar filters to block access to Skype and
other Internet calling services.

Gogo Inc., which provides Internet access on American, Alaska Airlines,
Delta, United, US Airways and Virgin America flights, recently
announced a new service for passengers to send and receive text messages
or make phone calls using Wi-Fi.

A U.S. airline Gogo wouldn't name will launch the service early next year with only text-messaging capabilities.

"We know that the talk portion for commercial aviation is not really
something airlines or their passengers want," Gogo spokesman Steve Nolan
says.

The talk function was designed for private jets and international
airlines. Most Middle East airlines and a few in Asia and Europe already
allow voice calls on planes.

Gogo's chief competitor, Global Eagle Entertainment Inc.'s Row 44, will
debut gate-to-gate text service for $2 a flight on select Southwest
Airlines aircraft Monday.

Tom Wheeler, who became the FCC's chairman three weeks ago, issued a
statement Thursday saying that "modern technologies can deliver mobile
services in the air safely and reliably and the time is right to review
our outdated and restrictive rules." Travelers protested to the agency
and on social media. On a White House website, a petition opposing the
FCC's move attracted more than 2,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon.

Wheeler backed off Friday. He clarified that "airlines are best
positioned" to make decisions about what's in the interests of
passengers. The FCC's role should just be to decide what is safe or not,
and cellphone calls are safe, he said.

"We understand that many passengers would prefer that voice calls not
be made on airplanes," Wheeler said. "I feel that way myself."

Wheeler declined to speak with The Associated Press. Any change would likely take at least a year to take effect.

Airline consultant Robert Mann says airlines have been using the FCC as
an excuse not to allow cellphone use. He believes the agency wants to
get itself out of the equation.

Airlines "ought to own up to what the real issues are," Mann says.
"They're not technology. They're not regulatory. It's a business
decision."

The Federal Aviation Administration recently lifted its ban on personal
electronic devices, such as iPads and Kindles, under 10,000 feet. But
the FCC's announcement that it would discuss its phone prohibition at
its Dec. 12 meeting came as a surprise.

"I was not aware this was anywhere near the front burner. I didn't even
know it was on the stove at the commission," says Harry Cole, a
communications regulations lawyer at Fletcher, Heald and Hildreth in
Arlington, Va.

Angela Giancarlo, a former FCC official and now a partner at law firm
Mayer Brown, says the proposal was in the works before Wheeler became
chairman. She suspects that the FCC expected the proposal would be
greeted favourably because it could allow passengers to remain
connected.

The FCC banned calls in flight more than two decades ago because of
concern they could interfere with multiple cell towers on the ground as
planes fly at hundreds of miles per hour.

Since then, there has been new
technology that can be installed directly on planes. Cellphones in
flight would connect to those airborne systems rather than the towers on
the ground, eliminating the interference problem. The FCC notes that
such systems have been deployed elsewhere around the world without
problems.

If phone calls are eventually allowed on planes — whether through
Wi-Fi or traditional means — a company still has to install that
equipment on aircraft. That company, in partnership with the airline,
would likely charge a fee, the way Gogo and Row 44 now charge for Wi-Fi
service. Cell carriers probably wouldn't profit off such calls.

Amtrak and many local commuter railways have created quiet cars for
those who don't want to be trapped next to a loud talker. It's easy to
envision airlines offering "quiet rows," although there will probably be
an extra fee to sit there.

Ultimately, the FCC is going to make its decision based on safety, not
public opinion, says Harold Feld, a senior vice-president at advocacy
group Public Knowledge.

"The decision on this is going to be made on the basis of real
engineering facts and not about whether people enjoy being away from
cellphones or not," Feld says.

U.S. airlines have tried in-flight calls before. Some passengers will
remember bulky satellite phones that rested on the back of seats. Few
travellers paid for the expensive calls. Airlines eventually ripped out
the phones in favour of another distraction: seatback TVs.