The Mobile Phone Debate

The Mobile Phone Debate

Okay, suppose the safety issue is taken care of and there is no concern that wireless communications technology will interfere with the plane’s navigational equipment. What objection is there to the use of mobile phone’s during a flight?

Surveys have shown that the majority of air travelers are against the use of mobile phones on an airplane because it would be downright annoying to sit next to someone who is receiving and making phone calls for hours on a flight. They imagine being stuck between two incessant talkers.

Common sense would seem to tell you that people wouldn’t really be so inconsiderate as to have hour’s long conversations on their mobile phone during a flight. But experience has shown us when it comes to mobile phones, most people loose their common sense. People will hold loud personal conversations in restaurants and grocery stores and on buses. They will drive using a handheld mobile phone even states where it has been made illegal. So does anyone really believe that people will use common sense and consideration during air travel? Not really.

It’s easy to see the scenario. Business people who intend to be considerate will receive what they deem to be a very important business call and end up talking longer than they expected. Or, a mom who just wants to check on her children for a minute will end up having to chat with each one of them before she can hang up.

It’s no wonder that air travel passengers are concerned that the use of mobile phones will become an annoyance during flights. They already are an annoyance down on the ground. Another concern some air travelers have will be the tension that all of this annoyance will create, perhaps making already jittery flyers more frustrated and pushing them over the edge.

Some people are already nervous just about flying. Add a cramped, overcrowded plane to the mix, the constant threat of terrorism, the restrictions on what can be carried on, and now the addition of an inconsiderate mobile phone user sitting right next to that nervous flyer, and someone might just snap.