Keep Planes a Quiet Space: Cellphones and Airplanes Shouldn’t Mix

The Opinion Pages 
THE EDITORIAL BOARD 
AUG. 8, 2014

Cellphones have provided humanity with many benefits. They have also enabled the most annoying among us to find new ways to disturb the peace in all sorts of public places, like trains, theaters and restaurants. One shared space that has heretofore been protected from the chattering of cellphone users may soon join that list: airplanes.
 

The Federal Communications Commission, which has barred the use of cellphones in planes since 1991, is considering allowing airlines to decide whether their passengers can make calls. Some airlines, like Delta, have already said that they will not allow cellphone chatter. But other airlines could well decide otherwise, and in anticipation of this the Department of Transportation is readying proposals to govern in-flight cellphone calls.
 

Officials at the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines, has argued that the carriers should decide; some European and Asian airlines, including Virgin Atlantic and Emirates, already allow passengers to make calls from their planes at international roaming rates, usually $1 a minute or more. Many frequent travelers and the unions representing flight attendants, however, want a ban on all flights.
 

We agree. There is no compelling reason to allow cellphone calls on planes other than to provide airlines with another source of revenue. Passengers who really need to communicate with people on the ground can already do so through wireless Internet service provided by many airlines for a fee.
 

Meanwhile, there are good reasons for restricting calls, not least of which is preserving peace and quiet on planes, which are increasingly flying at or near capacity thanks to multiple airline mergers in recent years. 
 

So far as we can tell, the majority of the flying public is not clamoring for the right to make phone calls at 30,000 feet. The Transportation Department should listen to their quiet voices.

Opinion: http://www.nytimes.com/opinion