I think no wasn't a strong enough poll option - you should have had "yes" "no" and "HELL NO."

I thought the advice posted by JeffH on March 11 at 7:34 PM was impeccable. When the offending blabber is between calls, approach him/him and gently say:

"...'I don't want to embarrass you, but everyone could hear the details on your phone call."

Miss Manners couldn't have phrased it better herself!

Should read, "...approach him/her..."

Oh god, just the thought of it makes me shudder.

The 20 minute metro ride is bad enough. I think I would be homicidal after a couple hours on a plane full of cell phone talkers.

My dad is (okay, was, he retired from practice recently) a doctor. Growing up, his "Bellboy" (a.k.a. a pager) was frequently referred to as "the leash".

Because when he was on call, he could be reached anytime, anywhere.

So when pagers became popular, and then rapidly thereafter, cell phones, I never understood the appeal of being in touch 24x7. Aren't there times when you would like to tell your boss or colleagues or family members "I gotta fly cross-country this afternoon, so you won't be able to reach me."

Maybe I'm just old fashioned and like my peace and quiet on occasion.

h3 is right.

The only people who can possibly want this are (1) cell phone providers and (2) manufacturers of noise-cancelling headphones.

Forget jamming the instruments, which I'm not sure I've ever bought as an excuse -- if an actual emergency happens, how many people will actually turn off their $*%&ing phones so they and everyone else can hear the pilot/flight attendants' instructions? "Yeah, my plane's going down, but don't worry, I can still schedule that for three o'clock on Thursday...."

In other news, what on earth could be so important that it can't wait until you've landed anyway? It's not like the doctors can/should parachute out to go to emergency surgeries several hundred miles away and a few thousand feet down -- nevermind the rest of us.

I could conceivably abide by my neighbor texting if the phone is otherwise silent. But give them that and someone will try to do it when the flight attendants aren't looking and whine when they're caught -- just look at the people who eat/drink on DC's Metro (illegal, for non-locals) if you need an example of this sort of thing.

Jane, interesting point, and thanks for your comments and votes, everyone. Does anyone want to address the issue of whether the FAA should be in the position of making rules about people using cellphones? Should it be up to individual airlines to disallow cellphones, the way some airlines ban pets, or should passengers be allowed to decide how to use their own phones? Personally, I hate being confined to ANY small space with someone having a loud conversation, and I avoid using the phone in public as much as possible, but having the government ban something non-dangerous kind of rubs me the wrong way. Am I alone?

To h3: Agreed -- and I'd be interested to see how many "no" vs. "HELL no" votes there were. :)

And in general -- yes, in my experience most people *do* need to be told how to act in a civil society, or at least be reminded on a fairly regular basis; those who don't believe this to be the case, I would love to know whereabouts you live so I can move there and live amongst these civilized people who don't need to be reminded how to act civilly and in a way that doesn't purposely inconvenience everyone else for their own sake.

And if the airlines are trying to save money, and more weight on an airplane means burning more fuel, then they have an economic reason not to have to install an onboard base station/mini cell tower. Plus, if they have one and it doesn't work for whatever reason, are the poor flight attendants now going to have to deal with irate "why doesn't my cell phone work" passengers? Oh, Joy!

No good whatsoever can come of people talking on cellphones on an airplane. As soon as the plane touches the ground they can use it.

Too bad there's not a way to allow cell phone frequencies (texting, wireless internet over cell networks) without allowing people to *talk* on their cell phones on a plane.....

Christina -- interesting question. Maybe the prospect of people yapping over safety instructions, or generally creating noisy chaos in the cabin, is enough of a safety "hook" to justify keeping the rule. (Not to mention that the resulting incidents of "air rage" might make the occasional drunken tantrum seem minor in comparison.) Is that really much more tenuous than the post-9/11 rule that no one flying in or out of NY or DC could even stand up within a half-hour radius of those cities?

I'm astounded that anyone has any doubt that people need to be told how to behave in polite society. The self-absorbed rudeness of so many cellphone addicts makes it clear that flying will become even more of a nightmare than it already is should U.S. carriers make this appalling decision.

I don't want people yakking loudly into their cell phones...but I don't want them yakking loudly in general. Really, if somebody is going to be a jerk on a cellphone, they're a jerk regardless and keeping them off the cellphone isn't going to help that attitude.

I wouldn't talk on a cellphone in flight but being able to text message and use wireless broadband would be nice...

Europeans are less uptight and more social so the use of cell phones there doesn't bother anyone. Here, people assume that every location should be like the stacks in an old fashioned library and if you can hear people talk -- well it's like the guy who called Polander all fruit "jelly" I'm not sure why Americans so hate to hear other people talking, but just like baby's crying and adults eating and drinking, it's part of the whole experience.

Really - how often is it that we encounter some rude, babbling jerk going on and on on his cell while riding the Metro? I'm a daily commuter and it's happened only a handful of times to me.

I like the point raised by Christina - and I think that safety, and not annoyance, is the only good enough reason to keep a federal cell phone ban.

If cell phone interference was really a safety concern, then the airlines would do more to ensure compliance with the current ban. It's about as enforced as the "leave seat belts on until we arrive at the gate" rule. How many times have you flown and upon arrival, realized that you accidentally left your cell phone on the whole flight? Let's multiply that - how many cell phones are left on during flights across the U.S. every day? Should we wake up our Congressmen?

If the technology is possible, the technology should be allowed. (Let's not forget the invaluable service provided by the 9/11 cell phone calls from the hijacked planes.) Heck, charge a special airline roaming charge so people won't be as likely to talk unless there's an urgent reason. But I suspect most of our fellow travelers are human, and more prone to common sense than you think.

Jennifer, you do have a few good points. But I think there are many idiots on the loose that will use up all the time during a flight to call every godforsaken person on their speed dial list to let them know how they enjoyed their vacation. Or for that business flier who has to set up that appointment, or possibly reschedule due to flight changes in route. I am contstantly astounded by the people that can't go grocery shopping without calling home to find out if there is anything else they have to get!!!! Also how many drivers do you pass every day that are yakking away with a hand-held phone to their ear? Continue the ban.

The worst part about allowing cell phones on planes is that there would be no escape. Even on a train, you can get up and change seats or even move to another car (and some trains have quiet cars where cell phone use is banned). Cell phones are a great convenience, and, as a single woman travelling alone, I have one and use it when appropriate. However, we should try to remember that somehow, someway we managed to function before we could be in communication with the world 24/7.

Regarding the 9/11 phone calls, those were mainly made by airfone installed on the aircraft, not cellphone.

"Does anyone want to address the issue of whether the FAA should be in the position of making rules about people using cellphones? Should it be up to individual airlines to disallow cellphones, the way some airlines ban pets, or should passengers be allowed to decide how to use their own phones?"

This is a fair question, but I suppose one could extend it to ask whether it was appropriate for the US government to ban smoking on all flights. Should the airline have the option of installing a separate "smoking section," perhaps walled off and with a separate ventilation system? (I recognize the practical concerns involved with this.) I guess you could argue that there are health issues involved with second-hand smoke and the like, but setting that aside, if we acknowledge the debate over smoking bans in restaurants and the argument that some people make that the owners should get to make their own rules, then why should cell phone use on airplanes be a carrier-specific issue while smoking should be regulated by the feds? (For the record, I'm all for the smoking bans.)

I see no legal problem with the US government regulating cell phone use on planes under the Interstate Commerce Clause as the Supreme Court has interpreted it over the years. (Intra-state flights, like LaGuardia to Buffalo, would not be exempt for the same reasons the Supreme Court set forth in the Heart of Atlanta Motel case involving a motel that said "no Negroes.")

I know some people who already attempt to use their cell phones and Blackberrys during flights. My secretary tells me that one of my colleagues routinely sends e-mails during flights. He thinks the ban is stupid and therefore refuses to comply with it. (Too bad I am not on the same plane....I'd rat him out in a heartbeat. He's known for being an arrogant prick.) I think the Blackberry is a real problem because we know it's capable of interfering with communications. Anyone who's been on a conference call in recent years is surely aware of this--the annoying "juddering" sort of noise that you hear through the phone is caused by someone leaving a Blackberry too close to the phone. I once left my Blackberry next to my iPod speakers and heard the same sound. So I find it hard to accept that pilots won't have to put up with the same annoyance if this stuff is allowed during flights.

"Regarding the 9/11 phone calls, those were mainly made by airfone installed on the aircraft, not cellphone."

That's not what I recall reading in the media reports. I think the passengers on a hijacked plane would, quite understandably, say "To hell with the rules." I would!

"Really - how often is it that we encounter some rude, babbling jerk going on and on on his cell while riding the Metro? I'm a daily commuter and it's happened only a handful of times to me."

Try riding the MARC. Yeah for the quiet car!

"Europeans are less uptight and more social so the use of cell phones there doesn't bother anyone. Here, people assume that every location should be like the stacks in an old fashioned library and if you can hear people talk...."

I was thinking about this and I think one difference is that, in my experience, the Europeans are more respectful about their talking. This is especially true in Finland, which is one of the countries with the most mobile-phone usage in the world (not surprising with Nokia headquartered in Espoo). Americans using cell phones frequently feel the need to talk extra loudly such that everyone in the area hears them. Europeans don't.

I'm conflicted. It would be great to make calls when I need to on the plane but some people talk on the phone just to hear themselves talk and will have loud stupid conversations the whole way. Judging by the number of times I have heard this asinine conversation I am worried:

"Hey I just landed... no we're on the runway... they say it will be a few minutes to taxi to the gate.... no, I'm on the runway now... I'll call you when I get to the terminal... ok we're at the terminal... it will be a few minutes before I can get off the plane... I'll call you when I get off the plane......ok now i'm getting off the plane... blah blah blah"

Sometimes you can hear 5-10 people having that SAME EXACT CONVERSATION at the same time right after we land.

I was in a doctor's office this morning and reading a book when these two old people (well older than me) came in and started having a boring conversation with each other. I guess this is how some of you experience cell phone calling. I could have told them to take it outside because the waiting room should be a "no talking" zone to accomodate people trying to read, but I figured their talking to each other helped calm them in advance of a medical procedure or they were too old to know how loud they were being. I went back to my book and hummed quietly to drown out the seniors.

Continue the ban, by all means. The addicts will just have to go thru withdrawal until landing. We have so few quiet oaises left.

On the topic of cell phones and trains, I just saw this story about a case of cell phone-induced passenger rage: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/nyregion/09train.html Perhaps it could become a safety issue after all...

[I thought the advice posted by JeffH on March 11 at 7:34 PM was impeccable. When the offending blabber is between calls, approach him/him and gently say:

"...'I don't want to embarrass you, but everyone could hear the details on your phone call."]

Likely the caller is filming himself to upload on You Tube: My Call from AA123, Seat 12A. More likely the response to your genteel comment would be brief, to the point, and sexually graphic.

"More likely the response to your genteel comment would be brief, to the point, and sexually graphic."

LOL...probably true, but why I'm commenting is to say that that may be the most tactful way I've heard to phrase that. I need to remember that one. :)