by Carmel
Brown (31st October 2013)
"Hello? I'm on the plane"
Mobile phones are an invaluable
part of life these days, but even the most ardent of text addicts knows when it
is time to turn off the handset. One of the main examples of this is when
travelling abroad on a plane. Traditionally, mobile users have had to switch
off after boarding, as the signal given off could interfere with the aircraft's
navigation systems.
Today, we are allowed to keep our mobile switched on to play
games and listen to music so long as they are in ‘Flight Mode’ which disables
your mobile phone network and internet access. Now, however, communications
regulator Ofcom has proposed that airlines should be able to install base
stations aboard their fleet that will allow passengers to make calls in
European airspace.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that
passengers will be able to use their mobile phones and tablets from take-off to
landing on all US
flights, regardless of the altitude that the plane is flying at. Using your
phone to make calls whilst the plane is in the air is still going to be
prohibited under these new rules, however.
But is the ability to use your phone in the
air necessarily a step in the right direction? Not according to one
aviation expert, who believes the "peace, quiet, solitude and
tranquillity" of flying would be disturbed if we were all allowed to take
calls when heading off on our holidays.
"Instead of, 'I'm on the train', we'll have, 'I'm on the plane'. I think it is actually quite nice to be away from [phones] for a while, particularly when you're going long-haul," said Laurence Price, a director at aviation consultancy Mott Macdonald. "Someone bleating into a phone for two hours is not what I want if I'm paying reasonable money to go in one of the better cabins on an aeroplane." Mr Price suggested that, as with trains, quiet areas could be introduced if Ofcom's proposals are approved.
"Instead of, 'I'm on the train', we'll have, 'I'm on the plane'. I think it is actually quite nice to be away from [phones] for a while, particularly when you're going long-haul," said Laurence Price, a director at aviation consultancy Mott Macdonald. "Someone bleating into a phone for two hours is not what I want if I'm paying reasonable money to go in one of the better cabins on an aeroplane." Mr Price suggested that, as with trains, quiet areas could be introduced if Ofcom's proposals are approved.
Source : http://www.mobilephones.com
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