I've always had a hard time believing that cell phones pose a serious threat to flight operations. After all, if they really were a significant problem, they would be banned like liquids over 3oz. Why would terrorists need guns if all they have to do is crank up their phones to crash planes?
No, I suspect the real reasons behind the ban on cellphones has more to do with bidness than safety, which is par for the course for the airline industry.
Most planes still have the "air phones" in first class that you could use for something like $5 for the first three minutes and a buck a minute after that. Those phones were pretty much all removed from coach, since budget-conscious fliers gave up on those things ages ago. So, if it's all about money, then it's no shock that Emirates is the first airline to allow cell phone usage:
It will be interesting to see if the trend carries over to US carriers.
Most planes still have the "air phones" in first class that you could use for something like $5 for the first three minutes and a buck a minute after that. Those phones were pretty much all removed from coach, since budget-conscious fliers gave up on those things ages ago. So, if it's all about money, then it's no shock that Emirates is the first airline to allow cell phone usage:
Dubai-based airline Emirates has become the first commercial airline to allow passengers to make mobile phone calls during flights. Emirates said the first permitted mobile phone call was made on a flight between Dubai and Casablanca. The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.An Airbus A340 is a 4-engine, two-aisle, wide-body aircraft that's roughly equivalent to a Boeing 767. Emirates caters to higher end customers than Southwest or RyanAir, of course, and responding to the demands of SMS-ers is a good sign.
It will be interesting to see if the trend carries over to US carriers.
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