Airline Cell Phone Ban Lifted?
PHILLIPS: Using cell phones during flight, well, the SEC is talking about allowing it. And we've got to wonder, if you're able to talk a mile a minute on the ground, how do you calculate the speed of speech at cruising altitude? Don't forget to factor in the square root of your seat mate's annoyance, by the way. Tim Jarrell joins me now from New York to talk about it, talk about the talk, I guess. He's the head of publishing for "Fodor's" travel guide. And he has got a finger on the pulse of the traveling public. By the way, we're still taking your e-mails on this. So e-mail us. Good to see you, Tim.</s>TIM JARRELL, "FODOR'S": Good afternoon, Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: All right, so, is there a huge hue and cry to have cell phones on airlines?</s>JARRELL: Well, I think, if you ask most passengers, that they would say no, don't put cell phones on airplanes. But it will happen. It may take two or three years, but I think that the airlines want it. Business travelers want it. And I also think the telephone and telecommunication companies want it as well. So we're going to see it one way or another.</s>PHILLIPS: So you definitely think this is going to pass because of the financial aspect? It could mean money for the airlines, money for the companies.</s>JARRELL: Well, I think the airlines want it because their business travelers are demanding it. I think the communication companies want it because in fact it is a new revenue source and it expands what they're doing to 30,000 feet. And, also, I think that the FCC wants to see this kind of technology in airplanes.</s>PHILLIPS: It says here the Federal Communications Commission has decided to seek comments now from the public about ending the ban on the in-flight use of cell phones. Is it possible that the public could come out with so many demands not to make this happen that the FCC could say, OK, forget it; it won't happen?</s>JARRELL: I don't think so. I think that you are going to see a lot of people in the public say they don't want it, but, in the end, I think that the question is about technology. It's about safety on the airplanes. And no matter how much you and I might not want it personally for other passengers, I think you are going to see this pretty soon.</s>PHILLIPS: All right, as you can imagine, we're getting tons of e-mails. And I want to read you some of these. Judi in Minnesota says: "Oh, great, now the same people who annoy us with loud, uncensored cell phone conversations in restaurants can talk nonstop from takeoff to landing. When did we get all so important that we can't be just a phone call away from our family, friends and colleagues?" Let me ask you this, Tim. What about just a cell phone section on the airplane? Would that work?</s>JARRELL: It's hard for me to imagine how that would work. It kind of reminds you of the old no-smoking and smoking sections maybe 15, 20 years ago that were on the airplanes. It's just a little bit difficult for me to imagine how that might happen, but it's possible. Maybe the airlines might come up with that kind of solution. But what about first class? First class in a lot of airplanes is six, eight, 10 seats. It's hard to segregate phones within such a small space.</s>PHILLIPS: All right, Sandi in Connecticut says: "Can we put the cell phone users on special planes, the ones that have to sit on the runway in the penalty boxes and the ones who have mechanical problems, etcetera? My guess is, if there were additional charges for using a cell phone in the air, there would be less people trying to prove their importance and more people would wait until they landed. If the smokers can wait, then the talkers can wait as well." Now, we sort of touched on that. Let's talk about the fact that even the phones on the aircrafts now, the airplanes now, you never see people using those because they are so expensive. Could cell phones be cheaper than that?</s>JARRELL: Well, I think cell phones will be cheaper than that. I think the current price on airplanes phones is now $3.99. They are expensive. Their quality isn't very good. My guess is that the cell phone -- cell phones will certainly be cheaper. How it will be priced, I'm not quite sure. But it will be a lot cheaper. And it may be just part of your basic plan.</s>PHILLIPS: All right. You also did a survey. "Fodor's" actually did a survey, men vs. women, who breaks the rules most. And it turns out men actually get on the cell phone or leave it on more than women and also are the first ones to turn them on once the plane hits the tarmac.</s>JARRELL: Well, this may come as no surprise. But it is true we did a survey. And we found out that 5 percent of travelers in general do not turn their cell phones off on airplanes. And, shock of all shocks, men, 2-1, one, are more likely not to turn off their cell phones than women. I'm not going to make a comment.</s>PHILLIPS: All right.</s>JARRELL: But that's what the results were.</s>PHILLIPS: That's what the results said. Well this, e-mail that we just got in, I want to -- I was saying -- because we were getting all these e-mails of people that don't want them. But this one just came in from Captain Joe Bough (ph), which I think is sort of funny. He says: "Here's the solution. Have a cell phone section of the plane" -- we mentioned that -- "where airlines charge $10 to $25 extra to sit in that section. This keeps all the loudmouth phonies who continually use the phones herded together to annoy each other and not civil people." That's an interesting idea, charge a little more.</s>JARRELL: Charge a surcharge, $25, so that you can strut your ego and have your cell phone. And maybe, you know, there's a decibel price as well, so if you talk in a whisper, the surcharge is $5. But if you bellow and, according to your self-importance, it could be $30, $40. And maybe your fellow passengers should vote.</s>PHILLIPS: There you go, get involved with the FCC in how they are asking for comments now. Tim Jarrell from New York, thank you so much. Continue to read those travel guides from "Fodor's." We all do. But it's interesting input today. Thanks, Tim.</s>JARRELL: Thank you, Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: OK -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: Well, cell phone or not, are you a high roller? A first-of-its-kind public offering in Vegas. Details straight ahead on LIVE FROM.