Your views: Mobiles on planes = bad news

Last week, Ryanair announced plans to trial the use of mobile phones mid-flight across 14 of its fleet.

While this will no doubt be convenient for those unable to break their mobile umbilical cord, it looks set to rattle other air commuters who are not so keen on the extra noise likely to be created as a result.

Last week, in our newsletter, IT PRO asked for your thoughts on whether such a move was a good or bad thing, as Ryanair is not likely to be the only airline considering this.

The responses were somewhat overwhelming, showing just how passionate you are about your airplane P&Q being disturbed.

“The very thought of a mobile being used in the seats around me fills me
with horror,” said Duncan. “Thank goodness I have a pair of Bose noise-cancelling
 headphones to use if necessary.”

Kevin was equally horrified at the idea. “The use of mobiles on planes will be a nightmare if the experience of being on a train is anything to go by,” he said.

He added: “People raise their voice to double its normal volume and forget that everyone can hear their conversation, sometimes with very embarrassing results. Unfortunately, I and the rest of the carriage recently overheard a woman telling her boyfriend that she was pregnant, and challenging him regarding how he was going to support her!

This is just another ploy to get money out of the customer, which is a good business opportunity for the airline, but they forget the impact it has on the rest of us…I vote ‘no’ to mobiles in the air.”

Alan also used the public transport analogy. “On a bus or a tube, I have the option of moving seats, or step off and back onto the following bus ... but on a plane I am trapped,” he said.

“Because of this, special consideration for treating all occupants equally means equally for me as well. Maybe the use of phones will be confined to toilets... no, that’s not a good idea either... I have a weak bladder.”

Jeanne added her thoughts to the debate, saying: “The claustrophobic nature of planes, compared to trains or tubes, requires different standards of behaviour. Mobile phones would be fine in 'text-only' mode.”

Robert wrote in to express his concerns for the health implications of in-flight mobile phone use, adding that he has previously written to BA to detail his worries. “Should airlines go ahead with mobiles on aircraft, my family and I will avoid flying at all costs,” he wrote.

Jack wrote in to bring up a valid point: “I don't mind use of mobiles in the air - in dire emergencies (ie, the plane is about to crash and nobody will survive),” he said.

While that sounds great in theory, it would no doubt be hard to police in practice, with some wielding their mobiles whenever takes their fancy rather than when absolutely necessary.

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