The U.S. government is considering to permit passengers to make and receive cell phone calls while in flight. The flight attendants' union oppose it, saying it would cause trouble, as well as bother o

Texting? Okay. Talking? No thank you.

Being able to text or use electronic devices, I've got no problem with. Allowing these things might even help to improve the mood of fliers in cramped quarters on both short and long flights by keeping them entertained, distracted, and quiet with content of their own choosing.

But phone calls mid-flight? Hell no. No phone calls should be allowed, incoming or outgoing. Most flights, particularly in economy class, are environments ripe for testy moods. Adding inane conversations to the mix i a recipe for knock-down, drag-out fist fights. The Flight Attendant Union is right; This is a monumentally stupid idea.

Quite frankly, there is NO phone call that can't wait until someone touches down. None at all. Life or death phone call? So what? What exactly are you going to do mid-flight? Bail out and thumb a ride back home to deal with it? I don't think so. Keep phone calls on the "no-go" list.

Ask them to please be quiet? How about the person who wants to speak in front of you, or next to you, or a few seats around you? Remember, you're on a plane! Where're going to go? You can't relocate anywhere else? That means, there will be many people on the plane talking and some talk more than others, so that means a lot of us, won't be getting any rest. I see a lot of abuse coming and a lot of pissed off people with this new law.

Painful people bother others with or without a phone.

How about an elderly lady who is traveling alone, the flight gets delayed whilst in the air, or even worse redirected and her elderly husband is expected to pick her up. Neither have internet, email or smartphones so she needs to call him at home to inform him?

Because airlines and flight delays didn't exist before the Internet Age and smartphones... ;-)

Give everyone free wi-fi instead (but no voice transmission= Skype etc..).

Allowing calls will lead to people getting punched.

There's nothing worse than the sound of someone on the bog when you're talking to them on a mobile. So, no, stick to texts.

Good News can Wait & Bad News never goes Away: Next someone will take offense to said subject matter of your phone call. Someone may not like the language you use.....etc. Many people have a hard enough time conducting themselves with common courtesy as it is. This will make it worse.........

Cell phone use is now banned because of safety concerns. I would worry about cell phones endangering a flight above all else But after that the noise pollution. Try to tell people to stop being bothersome. Either people will tell you to f off or ignore you. Cell phones are banned in a lot of public places because their use would disturb others. The last place you need to have people being disturbed is on an airplane.

It is just another way to collect cash

Domestic (short) flights, OK, but long distance flights, no thanks!

Yet another reason to find another way to travel.

Bass,

"... with this new law."

It's not a law. It's a proposed loosening of restrictions already in place.

Absolutely no voice calls. I would probably end up throwing someones phone out the window or flushing it down the lavatory toilet. Could you imagine how terrible that would be to sit next to some obnoxious person on their cell phone for six straight hours?

How about an elderly lady who is traveling alone, the flight gets delayed whilst in the air, or even worse redirected and her elderly husband is expected to pick her up. Neither have internet, email or smartphones so she needs to call him at home to inform him?

There are planes with in-board phones. If it is a delicate matter, they should use those kind of flights, if it is delayed, the husband will know at the airport and he can ask fro the flight and the ETA for the plane he's expecting, if they are elderly enough the husband shouldn't drive or go alone.

No, no voice calls, maybe texts but even though I can sleep with all the noise in the world, many people can't, imagine you are in the mid of a 4-hr flight and you are sleeping to be interrupted with a ring or a loud conversation of someone on the phone, there is a reason why if you want to listen to music or watch the in-flight movie you have to use headphones.

Where I live, there are a lot of commercial 2-hr flights from my city to the capital of my country and vice-versa, most of the people that take these flights are working people, so imagine a lot of them in-flight taking business on their phones, trust me they are more annoying than the casual girl/lady gossiping on the phone..

Please, not more cellphone babbling even in airplanes where you cant run away.

If it bothers you that the person next to you is bellowing into a cell phone on a plane, how about just telling him quietly that it's bothering you?

Why do we have to make rules about this?

I agree with Kabukilover.

However, I'm surprised by those posters who can't think of legitimate reason for the usefulness of a call whilst flying. How about an elderly lady who is traveling alone, the flight gets delayed whilst in the air, or even worse redirected and her elderly husband is expected to pick her up. Neither have internet, email or smartphones so she needs to call him at home to inform him? Or how about when you see the thriller movie, the killer is closing in and the soon-to-be victim is making a final call for help crying. "Please pick-up! Please pick-up!" but the person is on a plane with the mobile phone switched off! :-)

It wouldn't bother me as i don't fly on US carriers or fly domestically in the U.S. I live in Japan and am on a site called Japan Today.