By Georgia MuirMSN NZ Travel writer
Isn't an international flight tough enough without being forced to hear someone blabbing on their mobile phone?
Imagine this: you're buckled in and bound for London and your neurotic neighbour spends three hours on the phone in a heated family domestic, another two hours expressing a long-winded farewell to their partner and another hour booking last-minute accommodation for their holiday. It would be excruciatingly painful to overhear!
This phone phenomenon may be aggravating, but it isn't new. Handset phones have been available on planes for years, but they haven't been very popular due to the extortionate cost of making a call and the fact that you are restricted to your seat if you do.
However, in the last few years technology has progressed in leaps and bounds, costs have been slashed significantly and we are now at a point where we can access mobile phone global roaming in some regions of the world while 10km above ground.
Take the European Union for example. After EU airline regulators confirmed there were no safety implications of allowing mobile phone usage on carriers, airlines like Emirates and Ryan Air allowed passengers to use their mobiles mid-flight. If the demand proves to be there, other airlines are likely to follow their lead.
But do passengers actually want this option?
Sure, having access to your mobile is an effective time waster — you could catch up on news headlines, reply to all of your outstanding e-mails or call someone you forgot to say goodbye to.
But where do you draw the line? What is a fair compromise between passengers having free reign on their phones and banning them altogether?
Pros of banning phones
NoiseWhether it be to contest reception interference or to simply prove their point, people always raise their voice a few decibels when they talk on the phone.
Taking a break from being contactableIs it really necessary to be contactable 24/7? We are already bombarded with so many e-mails, text messages and social networks that surely taking away these means of communication for 24 hours at the most isn't denying us our lifeline.
Keeping the peaceIf the people around you aren't annoying enough — slurping coffee, hogging the armrest and snoring sporadically — then using a mobile phone is likely to tip boiling point. "Air rage" could be the new road rage.
Keeping private matters just thatShouldn't everyone have the right not to be subjected to other people's lives? At least on a train or bus you can simply project a contemptuous sneer and disembark if it gets too much.
Pros of having free reign on your handset
An effective time wasterWhat a great way to while away a 24-hour flight! Instead of anxiously pacing up and down the aisle you can pay bills, catch up with an old friend or organise a lift from the airport.
Making life easy for the forgetfulWouldn't it be great to do all the things that slipped your mind on the rush to the airport? Booking accommodation, organising travel insurance, transferring money or conning someone into feeding the cat! No matter how prepared you are there is always something you forget.
SafetyFor those with a phobia of flying, having access to a mobile phone may make them feel safer.
So, looking at the pros and cons, what do you think? Is allowing mobile phone use a form of noise pollution or a passenger right? Have your say below.
Isn't an international flight tough enough without being forced to hear someone blabbing on their mobile phone?
Imagine this: you're buckled in and bound for London and your neurotic neighbour spends three hours on the phone in a heated family domestic, another two hours expressing a long-winded farewell to their partner and another hour booking last-minute accommodation for their holiday. It would be excruciatingly painful to overhear!
This phone phenomenon may be aggravating, but it isn't new. Handset phones have been available on planes for years, but they haven't been very popular due to the extortionate cost of making a call and the fact that you are restricted to your seat if you do.
However, in the last few years technology has progressed in leaps and bounds, costs have been slashed significantly and we are now at a point where we can access mobile phone global roaming in some regions of the world while 10km above ground.
Take the European Union for example. After EU airline regulators confirmed there were no safety implications of allowing mobile phone usage on carriers, airlines like Emirates and Ryan Air allowed passengers to use their mobiles mid-flight. If the demand proves to be there, other airlines are likely to follow their lead.
But do passengers actually want this option?
Sure, having access to your mobile is an effective time waster — you could catch up on news headlines, reply to all of your outstanding e-mails or call someone you forgot to say goodbye to.
But where do you draw the line? What is a fair compromise between passengers having free reign on their phones and banning them altogether?
Pros of banning phones
NoiseWhether it be to contest reception interference or to simply prove their point, people always raise their voice a few decibels when they talk on the phone.
Taking a break from being contactableIs it really necessary to be contactable 24/7? We are already bombarded with so many e-mails, text messages and social networks that surely taking away these means of communication for 24 hours at the most isn't denying us our lifeline.
Keeping the peaceIf the people around you aren't annoying enough — slurping coffee, hogging the armrest and snoring sporadically — then using a mobile phone is likely to tip boiling point. "Air rage" could be the new road rage.
Keeping private matters just thatShouldn't everyone have the right not to be subjected to other people's lives? At least on a train or bus you can simply project a contemptuous sneer and disembark if it gets too much.
Pros of having free reign on your handset
An effective time wasterWhat a great way to while away a 24-hour flight! Instead of anxiously pacing up and down the aisle you can pay bills, catch up with an old friend or organise a lift from the airport.
Making life easy for the forgetfulWouldn't it be great to do all the things that slipped your mind on the rush to the airport? Booking accommodation, organising travel insurance, transferring money or conning someone into feeding the cat! No matter how prepared you are there is always something you forget.
SafetyFor those with a phobia of flying, having access to a mobile phone may make them feel safer.
So, looking at the pros and cons, what do you think? Is allowing mobile phone use a form of noise pollution or a passenger right? Have your say below.
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