Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The European Aviation Safety Agency recently voted to allow all cellphone use inflight,
including the ability to make phone calls. This reverses the EASA policy from nearly a year ago where passengers were only allowed to use their devices in airplane mode. This means that European carriers can join other international airlines who already allow passengers to use their phones for calls.
So will the U.S. FCC and DOT ride along with this program? Very doubtful but in truth, this may be much ado about nothing.
Particularly in the U.S., there is very little support for allowing inflight conversations on phones. Delta CEO Richard Anderson came out strongly against it. So have the pilots, flight attendants, and most passengers.
In Europe, the final decision will rest with the airlines but each carrier has to prove that using electronic devices will be safe in the air. Some may allow it, others won’t. The article quotes a British Airways representative who says they support the use of devices inflight but not phone calls. Most likely the majority of other European carriers will have a similar program, particularly if they have international flights to the States.
This is really the right way to go about it. Instead of a blanket policy for all airlines, it should be a choice by each one to decide whether or not they want to allow phone conversations. I am long on record in opposition to it but in the end, let each airline decide instead of a uniform government policy for everyone. While I can’t imagine any U.S. carrier supporting the use of cellphone talk inflight, shouldn’t they have the right if they so desire?
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Europe Votes to Allow Inflight Cellphone Calls appeared first on
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About Carol Margolis:
As the CEO of an international consulting firm, Carol Margolis has spent 25 years traveling nationally and internationally across six continents for business. She is the founder of Smart Women Travelers, which is dedicated to helping women who travel, and Business Travel Success, which helps both first-time travelers and seasoned road warriors improve their business travel experiences. She is the author of Business Travel Success … How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, published by Morgan James in 2012.
Margolis has experienced great success and appears on Reuters.com and USAToday.com, as well as being welcomed as a frequent radio and television guest on Good Morning America and Fox News. She is also often quoted in USA Today, the LA Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and many more.
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