EU Allows In-Flight Cell Phone Calls, Why Not U.S.?

[Matt Molnar]

Various authorities in the EU have passed laws recently allowing the use of cell phones aboard aircraft during flight. New technologies will allow phone use on-board without affecting aircraft systems or interfering with radio frequencies–the two main reasons they were banned in the first place. Why, then, do the FAA and FCC seem totally uninterested in lifting the American ban? Noted aviation writer Barbara S. Peterson takes a look at the forces at play...

:arrow: Why U.S. Airlines Still Won't Join the Mobile Mile-High Club [Popular Mechanics]

[Matt Molnar]

I, for one, think it should be legal, and airlines should adopt ways to make money from it.

Remember, there was a time when some planes had airphones at every seat. There wasn't a problem with excessive chatter because the service was too expensive for most people to use more than for a few minutes at a time, but still made the airlines a few bucks despite their limited use. As the cost of fuel rose, the cost/benefit of carrying hundreds of pounds of phones and their cabling was no longer appealing, and carriers removed them.

New technologies are a fraction of the weight of old airphone systems, with a single base station and very few wires. If the service were priced similarly to the old airphones, their use would be profitable without disturbing too many passengers. It would be a valuable convenience for people who hate being "off the grid" for any period of time...executives, parents, etc.

And no matter what your opinion on the issue, I have a major problem with the FAA and FCC deciding to outlaw something based not on facts from their respective jurisdictions, but on whether the public likes it or not. As long as these systems do not jeopardize flight safety nor the public airwaves, the free market–i.e. the airlines and their customers–should decide, not the government.

(Note: I also posted this on anet, but I'd much rather discuss here. :))