August 25, 2003 -- In a world of constant communication, airliners are generally a connection-free void. Unless you're willing to pay the sky-high charges to talk on an in-seat phone, you're unreachable for the duration of your flight. Some travelers consider flights to be a peaceful respite from an overconnected world, and others are frustrated about their inability to talk to loved ones or do business in-flight. We're not taking sides on this one.
But you can now talk a little longer on planes. Up until this month, most airlines banned cell-phone conversations during landing from the time the plane touches down until it arrives at the gate, even if it's sitting around on the tarmac for fifteen minutes figuring out where to go. But over the past few weeks, AirTran, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue and Spirit have all changed their tune to allow calls to be made and received as soon as an arriving jet touches down. On most of those airlines, the new policy applies to all flights; on American it excludes Airbus A300 and prop planes. An American spokesperson said they'll lift that restriction when they're done with tests on those aircraft.
ATA, Northwest, Southwest, United and US Airways still ban phone usage while taxiing, although United and US Airways are currently looking at the issue. All carriers still forbid cell-phone chatter while a plane is on the ground waiting to take off, unless the captain says it's OK.
The reason for the change, according to American, is new tests the carriers and the Federal Aviation Administration have done proving that cell phones don't interfere with airplane navigation systems while the planes are on the ground. There's never been any hard evidence that personal electronics cause problems on planes -- a 1996 study came up inconclusive -- but there were a few scary anecdotal incidents in the 1990s, and the FAA bans in-flight cell phone use as a precaution, according to testimony at a Congressional hearing in 2000.
Sure, the new policies only give fliers a few more minutes to talk. But cell-phone addicts will take whatever they can get.
Do you wish you could talk your way through a flight -- or want everyone on board to be silent? Talk about it on our message boards.
