From Maui to LA … in Silence.
LOS ANGELES–One of the pleasures of travel–at least for me–is meeting and having conversations with other people. Not last night. The guy next to me sat in stony silence for the entire five-hour flight from Maui to Los Angeles.
I did notice that he was busily texting on his smart phone while we were still 15-20 minutes out from Los Angeles. There had been the usual announcement at the beginning of the flight about putting our electronic devises on “airplane mode”, so I thought it was interesting that a flight attendant who was collecting trash, stopped at his seat while he was texting. He never looked up, just kept thumbing away on his device, but she never said a word to him.
So, what’s the scoop? Do smart phones operating in flight pose a threat to aviation or not? If so, why isn’t the regulation enforced? And if not, why the hell are we asking people to obey pointless rules?
On the hotel shuttle after collecting my bag, I sat across from a Delta pilot. We watched the driver of the van inching through the terrible traffic, stopping every 100 feet or so to pick up passengers, hauling their bags onto the van and stuffing them into the luggage rack.
The Delta pilot caught my eye and, nodding towards the sweating van driver, said, “Can you imagine doing that guy’s job eight hours a day?” No, I surely couldn’t. I slipped the guy a couple of dollars when he dragged my bag off the van. He smiled and said, “God bless you, sir.”
Tonight I’ll board Amtrak’s Southwest Chief for the two-night ride to Chicago. The schedule calls for a 6:10 p.m. departure and by 7 o’clock, I’ll be in the dining car enjoying a steak dinner with a half bottle of cabernet. I wonder who my dinner companions will be.
So . . . want to ask me again why I prefer to travel by train?
A lot of people connect their devices to the plane’s wifi and do their messaging through the plane’s internet connection. It’s a bit pricey for the leisure traveler, but if you’re on an expense report and the company’s paying, then why not? Most if not all airlines offer free onboard internet as a perk to their higher status frequent flyers, as well.
Not to say for sure that’s what this person was doing, just pointing out that just because you see a phone that’s texting doesn’t mean it’s actually using the cell network. Even if it was, it’s pretty much universally agreed by anyone with knowledge or authority in such matters that using the cell network poses no threat to successful aviation operations. The FAA is fine with it, for example.
As to why people are being made to follow pointless rules… It’s the FCC that’s actually got the rules about use of cellular radios in flight. Those rules exist for two reasons: 1. Potential interference to the pilots’ communications and navigation systems, and 2. The possible toll on the cell networks from these distant devices rapidly hopping from cell site to cell site.
Advancements in technology have made both issues relatively moot points, and the FCC was working on rule changes that would have allowed the FAA to work with individual airlines to ensure their planes could handle cell phone use and let them lift the restrictions. FCC chairman Ajit Pai publicly reversed course earlier this year, though, after a huge public backlash.
Turns out people actually like the fact that other people aren’t talking on their phones on planes, and the prospect of that changing really got people vocalized. Even though the rules weren’t created to encourage peace and quiet on planes, that was a nice side effect. So, the FCC decided to just leave well enough alone on this, thus ensuring the status quo remains for the foreseeable future.
This has worried me on flights and I even told a woman off in 2015 who was talking on her phone as we were landing at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris but I have now been told it is no longer a concern. No problem to me, my phone is off for the journey, the laptop is in the overhead locker and I only use the screen in my seat to follow our journey. I read my book but then I am 73 :-)
I heard it interferes with their radio. Same interference sound when your phone is next to your speakers by your computer right before a call or text is about to be received by your phone.