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FAA Leery Of Cell Phone Use On Airliners

July 15, 2005
The Federal Aviation Administration says it could lift its ban on the use of cell phones on commercial airliners, but that the industry shouldn’t expect the change to come about easily. The agency has told Congress that each airline would have to demonstrate conclusively that every model cell phone would present no interference on every model aircraft in use.

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FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Nicholas Sabatini told the House Aviation Subcommittee that the FAA is willing to waive its rule restricting the use of electronic devices on aircraft, but that the rule itself would not be changed. Currently, portable electronic devices are required to be turned off while the plane is in the air because of potential interference with the plane’s communications and navigation gear.

"If an air carrier is willing to take the time and incur the expense of testing and verifying that the cell phone usage presents no in-flight interference problems, our rules allow an air carrier to permit such devices," Sabatini told the committee.

Who would want airline passengers to be able to make cell phone calls at 30,000 feet? Another federal agency, the Federal Communications Commission, seems to be the leading backer of the idea. Late last year the FCC proposed lifting the ban on in-flight, as long as the interference questions can be settled. Sabatini indicated that settling that question to the safety agency’s satisfaction might be very challenging.

And it’s not clear that the airlines, the flight crews, or the passengers, are all that eager for it to happen. In April, 63 percent of those responding to a poll sponsored by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the National Consumers League were against the idea; only 21 percent were for removing restrictions on using cell phones in flight.

Negative responses to cell phones in flight surged to around the 80 percent level when air travelers focused on questions dealing with air rage, emergency communications, possible terrorist coordination using phones, and pilot reports that current cell phone technology can interfere with aircraft navigational equipment.

"Clearly, air travelers understand that cell phones in the close quarters of a commercial aircraft would not only compromise their comfort but their safety as well," said Association of Flight Attendants President Pat Friend.

Among reasons poll participants cited for keeping the current cell phone ban in place:

• 78 percent of participants agreed that cell phone use in already-tense, close quarters of an airplane could lead to increased passenger unruliness and interfere with flight attendants' ability to maintain order.
• 78 percent believed that cell phones might distract passengers from hearing life-saving instructions in an emergency.
• 82 percent said cell phones might "make planes uncomfortable and be disruptive" to passengers wishing to read or nap.
• 87 percent were alarmed when informed that pilots have reported many cases of problems with navigational equipment possibly caused by cell phones or other electronic devices turned on in flight.
• 84 percent agreed that it is too soon to lift the ban while the Federal Aviation Administration is still studying whether cell phones interfere with aircraft systems.

In the event that the ban is lifted, 90 percent of the air travelers said airlines should be required to have planes fitted with systems to allow the flight crew to instantly disconnect all cell phone calls during safety and emergency announcements.

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