Flight attendants oppose cell phone calls on airplanes

The US Department of Transportation proposed a new rule that requires airlines to notify passengers in advance if the airline allows passengers to make in-flight cell phone calls. The rule is an unusual move since the FCC currently prohibits cell phone calls on commercial flights. It’s possible the rule precedes action to change the current prohibition – a change major airlines, flight attendants, and many consumers oppose.

“Anything short of banning voice calls is reckless,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants, said in a statement. “It threatens aviation security and increases the likelihood of conflict in the skies.”

Two years ago, the Federal Aviation Administration relaxed airline rules regarding in-flight use of portable electronic devices during all phases of flight, including during takeoff and landing, the riskiest part of a flight. When FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler (add link) proposed allowing cell phone calls on airplanes, he received an avalanche of comments opposed to the change, and he dropped the proposal.

“Any situation that is loud, divisive, and possibly disruptive is not only unwelcome but also unsafe,” AFA-CWA has said about in-flight calls. “As first responders and the last line of defense in our nation's aviation system, Flight Attendants remain strongly opposed to cell phone use in the aircraft cabin.”

Links:

DOT Proposes Rule to Protect Airline Passengers From Being Unwillingly Exposed to Voice Calls on Aircraft (US Dept. of Transportation, Dec. 8, 2016)

Calls on an airplane? Rule change may allow them, despite skepticism from airlines, flight attendants (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 2016)

Flight attendants want all portable electronic devices stowed during takeoff and landing (Speed Matters, Oct. 15, 2014)

Flight attendants urge FCC to oppose in-flight cell phone calls to maintain flight safety (Speed Matters, Nov. 13, 2015)