Crave

Quiet please: A House committee has moved to prohibit in-flight cell phone use.

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

A House of Representatives committee threw another hurdle into the path of in-flight cell phone use Thursday, when it voted to ban the use permanently. By a voice vote, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace(or Hang Up) Act, which was introduced earlier this year by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).

The legislation, which now moves to the full House for consideration, would prohibit "voice communications using communications devices on scheduled flights," with exceptions for flight crew members and a federal law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity. In-flight texting, Wi-Fi, and e-mail on airplanes would not be affected.

In a statement, DeFazio said that not only is cell phone use aloft an annoyance, but also that airlines should be stopped from using in-flight talking as a potential revenue source. "With airline customer satisfaction at an all time low, this is not the time to consider making airplane travel even more torturous," he said. "Polls show the public overwhelmingly doesn't want to be subjected to people talking on their cell phones on increasingly over-packed airplanes." During the hearing, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) lodged a dissenting voice, saying, "You are trying to legislate courtesy, folks, and that just doesn't work."

It's all up in the air.

(Credit: Philippe Noret/AirTeamimages)

The results of Air France's in-flight cell phone study are coming in, and The New York Times is reporting that the feedback isn't good. Poor sound quality, long waits for a connection, and shaky signals appear to be the norm. But even worse, only six passengers at a time can get a signal in order to avoid interfering with the aircraft's equipment.

According to the newspaper, one passenger had to wait a few minutes for the signal to pass between the antenna in the plane, a satellite, and the receiver on the ground. And even when he got a connection, the poor volume and voice quality prompted his caller to compare the conversation to "talking to a small robot." On a flight between Paris and Vienna, passengers had to try a few times to call the ground, while calls made from the ground to the air tended to go to voice mail, the paper said. Also, BlackBerry users were not able to send and receive e-mail.

Though I'm sure the kinks will be worked out, so far it sounds not worth the trouble, particularly considering the galling $4.72 (3 euros) per-minute charge. But Air France isn't the only airline toying with cell phone use while aloft. Qantas allows only texting on certain aircraft, and Ryanair said it is mulling in-flight calls as well. Emirates said it has already allowed voice calls on some flights and that it will expand the service to other aircraft in its fleet. Like the Air France system, the in-flight calls use a satellite system to connect with the ground. Existing cell phone towers can't reach 39,000 feet.

Back in the United States, the FCC is sticking with its ban on cell phone use, and last week a bill introduced into the House of Representatives bill proposed outlawing it outright. This is one area in the cell phone world where I'm quite happy for the United States to lag behind Europe.

Go ahead, send that all-important message

Australian teens will be pleased to hear that later this year Qantas will allow passengers to send and receive text messages and e-mails on domestic flights. Voice calls will not be permitted, but passengers will be able to tap away to their heart's content.

The decision follows a nine-month trial using a single aircraft. During the trial, which ended in January, Qantas gauged passenger reaction to in-flight texting and determined whether the technology interfered with the aircraft's systems. Clearly, the trial must have gone well, now that Qantas has decided to expand the program to a number of Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft.

Dubai-based Emirates also conducted a texting trial last year, but the airline has gone a huge step further by becoming the first commercial airline to allow voice calls while aloft. According to the BBC, after Emirates allowed calls on a recent flight from Dubai to Casablanca, the airline now plans to add the service to other aircraft in its fleet. The calls don't operate through normal cellular signals; cell phone towers can't reach 30,000 feet into the air. But they will operate through a satellite system that connects to receiving equipment on board the airplane. As such, you can expect that calls will be expensive, at least $2 per minute.

If the idea of your fellow passengers yakking away makes you nervous, you'll be glad to know that Emirates will impose restrictions on the service. The cabin crew will activate the satellite receiver equipment only after the aircraft is at cruising altitude. What's more, the cabin crew will be able to prevent calls at certain times, such as during red-eye flights. If you'd rather not talk, you can stick with texting, and in the future you may be able to use your phone's data service as well.

Back in the United States, the FAA shows no signs of budging from its in-flight cell phone ban. Though debate continues on whether cell phone actually interfere with aircraft navigation and communication systems--a MythBusters episode suggested that they do not--I'm comfortable with the FAA taking its time.

Now arriving, phones on a plane

(Credit: Philippe Noret/AirTeamimages)

Sorry I missed this one, but in the rush to close out before Christmas, I overlooked that Air France finally is ready to start its six-month study of inflight cell phone service via satellite. As I told you last April, Air France is partnering with a company called OnAir to run the trial on one of its airplanes. The trial will gauge passenger reaction to inflight use, which Air France will then use to determine if the program should be extended to more of its fleet.

The chosen aircraft, an Airbus A318, is a short-range plane used only on intra-European flights, so you won't be seeing the service on any intercontinental journeys. And in any case, the FCC's continued ban on cell phones would nix any mile-high talking in U.S. airspace. Air France took possession of the jet in late spring of last year, but the airline needed several months to get the program off the ground (so to speak).

During the first three months of the study, passengers will be allowed only to send text messages and e-mails. But during the second three months (originally the study was scheduled to last a year), passengers will be allowed to make voice calls. According to Wi-Fi Net News, calls can only be made above 10,000 feet and depending on passenger feedback, cabin crew can disable the service--available through a cable that runs the length of the plane--at any time. As you may expect, the satellite calls will be $2.50 per minute. Also, passengers will not know they're flying on the test aircraft until after they board.

French on plane

(Credit: Philippe Noret/AirTeamimages)

Fasten your seat belts and put in those earplugs as cell phones may be coming to airplanes sooner than you think. Air France will join Qantas in implementing a trial program that will allow passengers to use their mobiles while in the air. Like Qantas Air France will run the trial on just one aircraft (in this case an Airbus A318) but the French program will for six months, which is twice as long as the Qantas study. For the first half of the trial passengers will be allowed only to send text messages and e-mail but for the last three months flyers will be able to make voice calls as well.

That makes Air France the first airline in the world to allow in-flight calling from cell phones. At the end of each flight passengers will fill out a questionnaire for feedback on the service. I wonder if one of the questions will be: "Did you want to shove that person sitting next to you out the window?"

Since the A318 is a short-haul aircraft the trial will not be available on Transatlantic or other long distance flights. And in any case, the FCC's ban for the United States is still in place. But if the program is successful Air France said it could bring cell phone use to its entire fleet. Yikes.

Crave is not a fan of inflight cell phone use (nor is your average flight attendant) but we did find a silver lining to this story. Since cell phone towers don't reach thousands of feet into the air the cellular signals will be converted into satellite communications that will vault into space and then connect to a ground network. Consequently, calls could cost up to $2.50, which could deter a lot of chatterboxes. Yet the description of the technology did make us a bit nervous. The cable that runs the length of the plane and does the signal conversion is called a "leaky cable." I just don't want anything "leaky" on my flight unless it's the galley coffee pot.