In 2018, Congress passed a law against inflight calls. already enacted 49 U.S.C. §41725 in 2018, directing DOT to promulgate regulations prohibiting passengers from using mobile devices for voice communications during scheduled passenger flights.
It bans calls from takeoff through landing, but excludes crew and federal law enforcement officers, and allows calls on phones permanently installed on the aircraft.
But DOT never finalized the implementing regulation.
The new, bipartisan Quiet Skies Act would require the Department of Transportation to issue regulations implementing a ban of inflight calls within 180 days of passage.
Does Starlink Make This More Important Than Ever?
Inflight call quality is improving, so we can expect more people to make calls perhaps?
- On the one hand, the broad rollout of Starlink wifi makes calling so much better. British Airways is explicitly tying their Starlink rollout and allowing inflight calls together.
- On the other hand, U.S. airlines generally have rules against inflight calling already. Some of them even block such services at the server level. This is about legislating inflight etiquette, rather than safety, and would largely be redundant for U.S. airlines anyway.
The Law Would Likely Ban Even Listen-Only Zoom Calls
The 2018 law prohibits “voice communications” using a “mobile communications device,” defined as portable wireless equipment used to transmit or receive voice data. This is not limited to cellular networks, dialed telephone numbers or smartphones.
Video-only isn’t prohibited. Speaking is. And it’s actually not clear whether listening to a Zoom call with headphones, on mute, would be against the law. What’s prohibited is “engaging in voice communications.” What that means would be subject to the final regulation.
Before the law was passed, DOT had actually proposed banning voice communication “made or received” by a passenger. A decade ago DOT thought the final rule should ban listening to calls, not just speaking on them.
The Flawed Case For A Ban On Inflight Calls
Business Insider presents the case for going through with the ban on inflight calls that Congress passed eight years ago. They lead with “Phone calls on flights could soon be banned” but of course those were already made illegal in 2018, while at the same time the legislation they’re highlighting (Quiet Skies) has merely been introduced.
It repeatedly says the bill would force the FAA to act. In fact, the actual bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to take action because this is a consumer protection rulemaking, and not a safety regulation. The article interviews several former flight attendants who make three arguments:
- Calls are intrusive because passengers are inches apart and callers tend to speak loudly.
- Calls could distract passengers from safety announcements.
- A blanket federal rule would spare flight attendants from having to make subjective judgments about which calls are sufficiently disruptive.
Of course, no U.S. commercial airline allows these calls today so there are no subjective judgments to make. The piece claims this is about “more than manners” however:
- There is no evidence that calls have caused accidents, evacuations or missed safety instructions. In fact, calls have been allowed for years on numerous large foreign airlines and there’s been no issues of the sort.
- People already talk to seatmates, wear noise-canceling headphones and listen to entertainment. An airline can require calls to stop during announcements or prohibit them during taxi, takeoff and landing.
- They compare an inflight calling ban to the ban on smoking, but that’s silly. Secondhand smoke creates a physical health consequences for non-smokers. Listening to someone try to close a sale doesn’t.
- A federal prohibition can itself produce confrontations, in fact we see confrontations over inflight calling now when airlines tell people to stop.
Inflight Calling Is Actually Fine
It’s happening now on airlines throughout the world without the parade of horribles coming to pass. People make calls on Amtrak, and most people don’t even opt for the quiet car.
I want to take conference calls inflight all the time – where I’m just an observer, on mute. I want to listen to earnings calls, or media briefings. I hate when Zoom and similar platforms are blocked at the server level.
Most people aren’t a nuisance making inflight calls or taking inflight conference calls. People are actually, overall, much quieter doing this than talking to seatmates. I often can’t escape the conversation in the row behind me.
What’s more, calls can be really important. A Southwest Airlines passenger departing New Orleans received a text from her husband telling her to forgive him, because he was going to kill himself. She explained the emergency to a flight attendant, who “slapped” the phone down and told her it had to be placed in airplane mode because the aircraft was pushing back. He killed himself while the plane was inflight.
If this were about safety, it would be an appropriate role for government. It’s grandstanding. Inflight calling is unpopular, and politicians like to do popular things.
Taking away freedom from others who haven’t actually done anything wrong is bad. Airlines should be able to set their own rules. If I want to listen to a call (with ear buds, speaking briefly and softly on a limited basis if at all) I should be able to choose a carrier that permits this.
No Action Been Taken Yet On Quiet Skies
The Quiet Skies Act is sponsored by Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-MI); Rick Crawford (R-AR); Greg Stanton (D-AZ); Rob Bresnahan (R-PA). The bill has not advanced beyond referral to committee. And the only thing it actually does is require the Department of Transportation to act on a law already passed in 2018, since inflight calling was banned but no timeframe for implementing regulations was included.
It only takes one rude passenger to annoy surrounding passengers. Even trying to speak softly. I want quiet flights.
I want to live on Gary’s planet where people packed like sardines in cramped uncomfortable seats for 5 hours or more are all polite and considerate to everyone around them and would never be loud, obnoxious, or offensive on a phone call while talking over the noise of the engines.
Oh, law-makers want the DOT to enforce something? Cool. Great test-run for whenever Congress finally gets off its… stops accepting legalized bribes from A4A, and actually passes air passenger rights legislation, including a duty of care, compensation, etc., like EU261. Someday.
Ban it – this is something almost everyone (except maybe Gary) can agree on regardless of their views on other topics. Plenty of time to place a call or participate in a zoom call when you aren’t on a plane. If it is that important schedule it around the flight or reschedule the flight – simple.
@Retired Gambler — Woah, such rigid enforcement by the government against corporations, practically nationalizing the airlines to ban a practice, is this not socialism/communism? …/s
The graveyards are full of indispensable men and women, pompous fools who think they need to constantly be in touch with their contacts—or the world might quit spinning. Get some perspective, your business and personal calls are truly not important and can wait to you are off the plane
Amtrak quiet cars are very popular and policed by both passengers and conductors. They recognized a problem and fixed it early on. On long distance trains I pay for a full room to allow privacy to make and receive calls quietly ( also to have a full bathroom , but that’s a story for a different post ) The chatter from observation cars is ridiculous.!
Talk about confrontations! Wait 25% or more of a plane are engaged in loud conversations! Oh yay, “it’ll be just fine!” Right!
Nothing like hearing loudly as two brothers are holding a call to discuss how their father died and then planning the funeral!
Actually happened to me on Amtrak between Newark and Baltimore. The whole way!
The whole bloody car heard about family bickering, the final moments of their father’s death,, and seating plans based on their dysfunctional family foibles.
This was a real treat.
Wouldn’t you and the entire cabin LOVE to hear that?!
Ban the live calls.
@Maryland — Yes!! Don’t hold back, tell us more about your experience(s) with Amtrak’s “Bedroom,” “Bedroom Suite,” and/or “Family Room” products… choo-choo!!
(Folks, the trains have literal showers! Take that EK F a380!)
please please please keep no phone conversations on airplanes.. I don’t want to hear what happened at the party last night or what you drank or what you were wearing…and were all in a cramped plane . its bad enough hearing people talk loud with all the plane noise anyway.
thanks.
texting is the only communication folks need./.// no live phone calls please
1990. Trains are the luxury travel. The room sleeps 4, doors that lock, a closet, vanity shower and toilet. You can have your luggage open..trains plow through inclement weather. Yes I love that luxury!
So Gary, you would be kind and considerate when you are on the phone. And the other 249 people on that plane will be equally kind and considerate when they are on their phones ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
Yeah, right.
@Maryland — “Allll abroad!!”
No. Just no.
“On the one hand, the broad rollout of Starlink wifi makes calling so much better” – Maybe for the person on the phone. Everyone around them gets to hear their incredibly annoying yammering while trying to mind their own business.
You say that most calls are not annoying or intrusive. I can only respond by saying that if you haven’t had this happen a bunch of times then you should never play the lottery because you’ve used up a lifetime’s worth of luck already. For us people who experience normal luck there’s plenty of people talking loudly at their phones, and if we’re unusually unlucky then the phone is on speaker.
@Gary – I’m thrilled that the government is looking at cracking down on this abhorrent practice. Think of it like this for you: people putting their nasty feet on the bulkhead doesn’t hurt anyone in any way, even if it is incredibly rude and tasteless; Annoying your neighbors with inane conversation – often loud – is no less offensive to most people I’d say.
I agree with Gary. (Wow!… jk!). Seriously, the row behind me talking is way louder, and I have said things in the past. But in general, people are courteus. Maybe because they are, or I have been told I am very imtiminating with my stink eye, lol.
Just require earphones like they do now and we are all good. Why over-regulate?
Yes, in theory you should be able to join a Teams/Zoom call if you will be in listen mode only. I have to do that for calls telling me how “wonderful” AI is. Spoiler alert, most of it sucks but it’s even cheaper than offshoring to India and China so it’s the future.
On to the topic, we of course live in times of stupid. There will be that one person that will not use headphones/ear buds. Like the moron at the ORD FL yesterday.
If it not a safety issue, then the government should allow phone calls. On the other hand, I will lobby every airline to have their own ban. Every time I’ve had someone near me in public on a call, I always think how inane and stupid their conversations are. Do you really need to ask your partner if the mail arrived?