COMMENTARY | While the Federal Aviation Administration is busy researching the possibility of using electronic devices during takeoff, taxi and landing procedures, as reported by the Herald Sun, a British airline has taken the use of electronics in-flight to the next level.
USA Today reports Virgin Atlantic is ready to give passengers the all-clear for making phone calls from the cabins of certain planes. While many business passengers could take this as a positive step forward, it is pretty much a loss for anyone not wanting to be bothered by someone making a series of phone calls.
The good news for people looking to maintain some peace and quiet on a U.S. flight is that airlines back silent communications. As Gizmodo reports, the CEO of Viber, a VoIP application similar to Skype, was in violation of Delta Airlines' policy when he used his company's app to make a phone call. The policy has nothing to do with the FAA but is a response that many passengers want silent communications instead of someone yelling into their handset for two hours.
According to USA Today, Virgin Atlantic will only permit six calls to be in place at any given time and only then in important circumstances, hopefully in a designated area. Flying can be a stressful experience for many people, and allowing somebody to talk away in the enclosed space is a recipe for disaster.
As if worrying about someone kicking the back of your seat was not enough, if other airlines jump on board, the situations could quickly get out of control. U.S. passengers have enough headaches when it comes to flying and inviting yet another one into the cabin seems like a bad idea.
