Are we a free country or what ? – Cell phones on air planes in the United States

People do all kinds of annoying things, all the time, every day. It’s not the federal government’s job to use the force of law to stop people from being annoying.

How can the US Travel Association circulate or concern themselves with these comments: A policy change of this nature should only be made after exhaustively contemplating whether it improves the travel experience, and there are some strong indications that travelers themselves do not want it. Polls we have seen by Quinnipiac University, the Associated Press and others have concluded that the public opposes in-flight phone calls by very convincing margins.

“The travel community urges the FCC to be as thorough as possible in seeking data for its consideration of this policy move, as the FAA was in revisiting its policy on the use of electronic devices in-flight.”

Is this a free country or not?

Talking on your cell phone in a restaurant is widely agreed to be a rude, annoying behavior. Should we have a federal law against talking on the phone in restaurants? Of course not. The problem of cell phone chatter in restaurants is one that can be adequately addressed by restaurant owners deciding what to allow, and restaurant patrons deciding where to eat.

And yet, with the FAA finally realizing that cell phones don’t cause plane crashes, Congress is considering bipartisan proposals to ban in-flight phone conversations solely on grounds of annoyingness. CNN interviewed one of the sponsors of such a bill, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.):

Rep. Shuster told CNN that crying babies and snoozing adults cause enough commotion on flights, and cell phone calls will only make matters worse. “Tap, don’t talk,” Shuster said.

Aren’t Republicans supposed to be against the government making those sorts of decisions? Perhaps, after this pressing issue is resolved, Rep. Shuster will turn his legislative attention to the issue of people texting in movie theaters.

If the flying public hates phone calls so much, airlines can be expected to prohibit them. The government does not need to get involved. But I think what’s going on here is that the phone-opponents realize they’re outnumbered among the flying public. They fear airlines will allow phone conversations because, secretly, flyers care more about being able to talk than about not hearing other people talk.

People tell pollsters they want phone conversations banned on airplanes. And yet, look at Amtrak’s Acela train service. These express trains have four business class cars, one of which is the “quiet car” where you can’t talk on the phone. The quiet car is lovely. I always ride in the quiet car. I do so partly because I like quiet, and partly because it tends to be the least crowded car on the train. Most riders are picking the loud cars, because they care more about the ability to be loud than about their neighbors being quiet.

We’re a loud country. Given the option, we’re likely to have loud phone conversations on airplanes. It’s unfortunate. But it’s not Congress’ job to fix. It’s ours.

Airlines like Emirates from Dubai, UAE allowed cell phones for years, and they do very well.