Shut up! No YOU shut up! Inflight phone debate is back

December 10, 2016

13 million flyers used OnAir's mobile phone service from planes last year (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Millions of flyers on foreign airlines have used OnAir’s mobile phone service from planes. (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Changing technology that enables travelers to make voice calls over in-flight Wi-Fi systems has led the Transportation Department to take another look and reignite the debate about voice calls in the air.

Inflight cell phone for voice calls use is already permitted by many airlines around the world. Even highly regulated Europe relaxed its ban on flight calls way back in 2008. None have reported any of the mayhem predicted by pundits and politicians.

The current ban on in-flight phone calls was issued by the Federal Communications Commission, not DOT – and that decision was based on issues of interference with navigation systems and ground-based cell phone networks. Today, most aircraft have Wi-Fi technology that is increasingly switching from ground-based to satellite-based communication, and it permits flyers to make calls through Wi-Fi – and that is not covered by the FCC ban.

DOT said it has started a rulemaking proceeding that would not only require airlines to inform customers “from the beginning of the process” (i.e. at the time of booking) when voice calls are permitted on their flights, but also seeks to determine whether the agency should simply ban voice calls outright.

Emirates Airline does not have a problem with passengers using their mobile phones in flight (Photo: OnAir)

And this rulemaking has nothing to do with safety issues – it’s all about consumer protection.

“DOT believes that allowing voice calls, without providing adequate notice, would be an unfair and deceptive practice,” the agency said. “As technologies advance, the cost of making voice calls may decrease and the quality of voice call service may increase, leading to a higher prevalence of voice calls and a greater risk of passenger harm… The Department believes that consumers would be unfairly surprised and harmed if they learned only after the purchase of a ticket (or, worse, after boarding the aircraft) that the carrier permits voice calls on its flights.”

Passenger harm? DOT doesn’t explain that concern. Is it suggesting that voice calls in-flight would lead to physical fights between the caller and a seatmate who doesn’t want to hear it?

The agency noted that when it looked into allowing voice calls on flights back in 2014, “a substantial majority of individual commenters expressed opposition to voice calls on the grounds that they are disturbing, particularly in the confined space of an aircraft cabin.” The airlines’ trade group thinks airlines should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to allow phone calls, but flight attendants’ unions are opposed to the practice.

Still, several foreign airlines permit voice calls on their flights, and there is little if any evidence that the practice led to fisticuffs or boycotts.

Gogo’s popular inflight wi-fi system has the capability to handle voice calls, but for now, the VOIP calls are blocked on commercial flights. But the ability to use inflight wi-fi for voice calls is a very popular feature on Gogo-equipped private jets. Gogo currently offers free texting (only) on commercial flights for T-Mobile customers.

Elsewhere, airlines that have adopted the onboard technology have the ability to turn voice calling on or off– and some, like Lufthansa, have decided to keep it off. Ryanair, Europe’s largest carrier, experimented with allowing cell phone use on its planes in 2009 and dumped the idea due to lack of interest.

Some of the airlines that offer Aeromobile’s inflight SMS or phone service

Here are lists of airlines that offer inflight mobile phone or SMS service via Aeromobile or OnAir.

Why don’t people in these other countries yack endlessly on their cell phones on planes if they can? Because using a mobile phone on a plane is not the same as using it on the ground. It’s very expensive... calls cost about $3-$4 per minute– and charges appear on your mobile phone bill.

What’s not clear now is how inflight wi-fi (or VOIP) calling can be regulated onboard, and how it may be priced. In any case, you can bet that it will not be free. And if inflight wi-fi usage (which runs at about 7%) is any indicator, inflight calling will likely not be widespread.

While airlines are said to be studying the issue, most are standing by previous decisions to ban inflight calls.

In any case, if you’d like to share an opinion with them on the subject, go to www.regulations.gov and file comments on docket number DOT-OST-2014-0002.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you!

Don’t miss out! Join the 150,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

Seat size regulation killed in Congress

April 7, 2016

Think airline seats are getting too cramped? Tough. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Senate Democrats have been trying to push pro-consumer legislation that would rein in what some see as abusive practices by U.S. airlines, but they knew it would be a tough sell in a Republican-dominated Congress –and they were right.

The Senate this week voted down an amendment from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would have compelled airlines to stop reducing the width of their seats and the distance between seat rows (i.e. pitch), and would have empowered the Federal Aviation Administration to set new minimum standards for seat size.

The latest rejection of a new airline rule came on the heels of a vote last month when a Senate committee dumped another proposed amendment that would have let the Transportation Department take action to stop carriers from imposing unreasonable fees on passengers – i.e., fees that bore no relation to the actual cost to provide the service or amenity involved.

In a TravelSkills poll last month, 80 percent of readers who responded were in favor of new regulations to protect passengers, like the measures proposed in the legislation.

Thinner “slimline” all the rage among airlines these days (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The failure of the two measures should come as no surprise in a Republican-dominated Congress that abhors regulation of the private sector. And it is also testimony to the strength of the airline industry’s lobbying group, Airlines For America (A4A), which almost always gets its way in Congress.

Almost, but not always. Earlier this year, A4A was behind a measure to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system, taking it out of the hands of the FAA – but that bill was scrapped by House Republican leaders. It may have been overreach on the part of A4A, or maybe it was overreach on the part of its sponsor, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who admitted last year that he was romantically involved with Shelley Rubino, A4A’s vice president for global government affairs.

Do you think the government should play a role in regulating airline seat size? Please leave your comments below.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

Airline seats & fees: time for federal regulations? (POLL)

March 10, 2016

Is it time for the government to regulate airlines’ rising passenger fees and cramped seating? (Image: Jim Glab)

When Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the idea was that except for matters of safety, airlines should be free to set their own pricing and service standards without government interference, and let the free market sort things out. But this week some legislators are responding to a growing chorus of consumer outrage by suggesting it might be time for government to stop a heavily consolidated airline industry from abusing passengers by slapping them with ever-higher fees and ever-shrinking personal space.

Congress this month is expected to act on a reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration, and some Senators are trying to use that as a vehicle for change, introducing amendments to protect consumers from further airline abuse.

First, Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) introduced an amendment that would require the FAA to set minimum measurements for airline seating and seat pitch. Blumenthal said the “incredible shrinking airline seat” could pose “a serious threat to the health and safety of passengers,” not only from the dangers of things like blood clots forming in their legs, but also by inhibiting speedy exits in case of emergencies.

That was followed by Blumenthal and Sen. Edward Markey (D.-Mass.) proposing a bill that would bar airlines from assessing passenger fees that are “not reasonable or proportional to the cost of the service.” They cited the growing number and rising levels of “ancillary fees” that have sprung up in recent years, for things like checked bags, itinerary changes and many other amenities and services. The bill’s proposal would be similar in concept to last year’s order from the Transportation Department that airlines assessing fuel surcharges must show a direct relationship between those fee levels and the cost of fuel.

Of course, the airlines are screaming bloody murder about the prospect of any new regulations like the ones above, arguing that they would simply raise the cost of air travel and make it unaffordable for many people.

But consumer groups contend that in order for competition to act as an effective regulator of the airlines, there must be enough competitors to make it work – and that might not be the case following the industry’s rapid consolidation in recent years.

TravelSkills POLL

Loading ...

Please click the clear-looking or “vote” button

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble

Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

Shut up! No, YOU shut up! Inflight phone fight looms

September 2, 2015

Fliers connected 13 million times to OnAir’s mobile phone service last year (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Is a federal ban on inflight mobile phone calls on planes really necessary? Or should the decision be left up to airlines?

This week a Transportation Department committee recommended that airlines (not the federal government) should decide whether passengers can make phone calls during flights.

Last year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) considered ending the federal ban when was determined that cellular service onboard planes was not a threat to aircraft navigation or communications systems.

The possibility of inflight calling resulted a rancorous debate– passengers and lawmakers claimed that cell phone use on planes could lead to inflight mayhem— they said it could interfere with flight attendants’ ability to do their jobs keeping passengers safe and the cabin environment calm. They added that inflight phoning would exacerbate the already tense atmosphere in tightly packed planes– think “Shut up! No, YOU shut up!”

With pushback like that, the decision was put off, but now it’s popping up again…

Companies that provide cellular service onboard say that calls usually don’t last more than two minutes and the service is only used by a handful of passengers on any given flight. They say that most passengers choose to use their mobile phones for texting instead. “Inflight mobile phone usage is not causing the disruption the naysayers have predicted,” says OnAir’s Francoise Rodriguez.” Millions of people connected inflight on planes last year without a single complaint about noisy phone calls.”

In the US, Delta’s CEO publicly stated last year that it will not allow the use of mobile phones for voice calls during flight with or without a federal ban. Matt Miller, American Airlines spokesman sounded a bit softer on the issue this week saying, “We’ll keep the wishes of our customers in mind if the rules governing cell phone use shift from the government to individual airlines.”

Airlines for America, the airline trade group, agrees with the committee’s recommendation, too: “We’ve always said it should be up to the airlines to decide what’s best for their employees and customers,” said spokeswoman Jean Medina.

Airlines that offer Aeromobile’s inflight SMS or phone service

Here are lists of airlines that offer inflight mobile phone or SMS service via Aeromobile or OnAir.

Why don’t people in these other countries yack endlessly on their cell phones on planes if they can? Because using a mobile phone on a plane is not the same as using it on the ground. It’s very expensive… To make a call, you first have to set your phone to international roaming, and then calls cost about $3-$4 per minute– and charges appear on your mobile phone bill.

Vintage seatback phone. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Vintage seatback phone. Who used em? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Does anyone remember those GTE or Verizon phones installed in nearly every airline seatback in the 1990s? People could use those phones with the swipe of a credit card, at similarly steep rates, if they wanted to. But they did not.

Because of the cost (and peer pressure) I really don’t think that cell phone use onboard planes is all that big of an issue. Usage patterns here would not be too different from elsewhere in the world.

If the feds are searching for something to regulate, what about enforcing a minimum seat pitch and seat width aboard aircraft? If they are truly concerned about reducing stress and controlling mayhem in airline cabins, a standard 33 inches between seats that are no less than 18 inches wide would go a long way. This week, a federal panel recommended that airlines be required to disclose seat size, and that FAA should enforce a minimum amount of personal space that must be allotted per passenger

So what you you think… should the federal government to tell airlines if they can or cannot allow cell phone use for voice calls onboard planes? Or should the feds stay out of the airline business altogether?

I’d love to hear your comments! Please leave them below.

–Chris McGinnis

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

Like what you just read? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it!

Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly.

Are you in the market for a new credit card? Looking for a fat points or mileage bonus to sweeten your balance? Then check out our BEST CREDIT CARDS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS and scoop up the deals!

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you!

TravelSkills POLL

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!