Airline passenger news and views

Can you imagine how awful that would be if you are stuck for hours next to someone wanting to make calls all the time? They need to have special cabin areas for mobile phone users.

I too would find it very irritating on a long flight to have someone gassing away on their mobile in the seat beside me, even though it has been deemed safe by airline governing bodies.

Shouldn't be a problem, I'm used to people chatting on their mobiles anywhere and everywhere. I would find it useful to inform loved ones of delays etc.

I hate the mobile culture and the rudeness that it generates. You can be talking to someone and then their telephone rings and they feel it perfectly ok to simply answer it and ignore you. For me, no thank you, I do not want mobiles during the flight unless there is a specified area for making calls. I dread to think what it would be like with incoming calls.

No, no, no. Please do not bring mobile telephone calls onto the planes. We sit so close to the other person and even to the people in the seats behind and in front. It is a horrid idea.

This is great news for me, its like going cold turkey 6 hours without my phone. As long as you are sensible and considerate about it, switching the phone off when neighbouring passengers are trying to sleep.

Airline industry and governing bodies have proved there are no technical and safety implications of using mobiles with the installation of the correct equipment aboard aircraft.

I do use my mobile for business and social. I am not one of those that hold it in my hand all the time, but I do use it a lot. In, fact, I cannot really imagine being without it. But, do I want to sit on a low-cost, packed, limited seat-space aircraft and try to fit in my conversations in the gaps between those of the neighbouring passengers? I think, n balance, I would opt for the no-phone section of the plane

Can you imagine what it would be like if you had a bad connection at 30,000 feet, shouting into then phone with someone in the next seat trying to read and giving you the evil eye. Then think about all the different ring tones ! Of course I want to use my mobile but I know what she is saying.

What if you go into the toilet and make your calls in private. They will then need more toilets. Perhaps then there will be a telephone sensor in the toilet and they will have to announce that it will be illegal to tamper with the detector.

I can think of nothing worse. I once spent a journey on a coach on the last leg of a trip from Edinburgh to London having been decanted from the train at Banbury. After an hour of a girl 3 seats forward from me going, "No!! Really!! Y'know!!" repetitively, at high volume, for 2 hours non-stop I was about ready to commit murder.

I'd suggest that this would be a good way to drive up sales of replacement handsets at airport arrivals...

How about a section for 'mobile use only' that way you are away from people who wish to read quietly, I do not see a problem in general with using mobiles on a plane, we put up with them everywhere else...trains, public places etc etc....why restrict us on a plane?

I am not sure the CAA will allow this until there is solid evidence that mobile phones do not interfere with aircraft equipment.

I would hate having mobile phones all around me, it is really the only place on earth where you can get away from the trappings of every day life and the rat race existence that we all seem to have now. Trying to sleep would be impossible, especially with some of the inane conversations that seem to take place!

I agree mobiles on planes would be extremely annoying. Give people in flight internet access so they can communicate silently via email instead.

You can expect in flight call charges will be very high; this might be a deterrent for most. I am not a mobile phone addict and do not support the use on flights.

I'll be avoiding whichever airlines decide to relax these rules since they obviously have no consideration for passengers wishing to enjoy a peaceful flight.

Not mentioned in this article is another, lesser-known reason that mobile use is discouraged in aircraft: that handling calls from phones travelling at 600+ mph, at 20,000ft, can cause havoc to mobile phone networks. The ground antennas have limited range, which means that inflight calls have to be handed from antennae to antenna every couple of seconds, which is quite difficult

"I'M on A PLANE!" - please God let them stay on the ground. If they ever spoke anything but drivel on the damned things it wouldn't be so bad. Try sitting in a Business Class Lounge for an hour - it's an education in the unthinking talking to the uninterested - so keep my holiday trip as quiet and personal as possible please.

Whether we like it or not, mobile phones are an essential part of modern living, granted it may take a while for mobile technology/networks to produce signals strong enough for 30,000 feet, but it WILL happen.

If they allow mobile phones on planes, after hearing the inane drivel that most morons yatter about you're going to get air rage at 38,000 ft. Now that's a real safety issue. We've managed to get to this point of human existence without it, and let's keep it that way.

Anyone who thinks mobile phone use will intrude on the tranquil, relaxing experience of air travel has clearly never flown with Ryanair!

If people are worried about the noise from other passangers talking on the phone, the airline could politely request that passangers should keep noise to a minimum and use text messanging whenever possible. True only short messages can be sent, but a text should be enough for that vital communication to family or colleagues.

I think being able to 'text' is not a bad idea, although it would open the floodgates i suspect to people abusing the whole thing, and even if there were rules made for no one being able to have a conversation you can bet your bottom dollar people would find a way round it!!

I honestly cannot think of anything worse than having someone sitting next to me talking on their mobile phone, it would really put me off flying, its bad enough we have to tolerate it on trains, buses and public places.

I don't think I would be able to cope whilst flying having someone sitting next to me chatting away on their phone, Its the only place you get a bit of piece and quiet away from phones. I think this is a bad idea.

Another thing to charge us for no doubt, I don't mind the idea of mobile phones on a plane, however I can see it being pretty expensive all round.

I am sure that some airline companies will be introducing a pay as you go type system so that they can make even more money from mobile phone addicts!!

As long as it is safe to do so I don't see why using mobiles on aircrafts should be a problem, after all people use them whereever you go.

I see that this discussion thread is still running live and well. There are a lot of people that want to have access to communications and, unfortunately, that means disturbance to other passengers.

I really do not want to listen to other people's conversations or to have my peace and quite destroyed by people shouting into their mobiles. I said before that I would want to be in the no-telephone area but i hope it is the phone users that are charged the extra fee and not those like me seeking a quiet life.

This is the kind of discussion that will run and run. Most people now use mobile 'phones and many think it is their right to disturb other people. We live in a Me Me society and we are not going to go back to the days of politeness.

We have to find ways of living with the mobile.

The disadvantage of mobile phones being used on planes is that fact that if you are on a seven hour flight then you would not want to be on a aircraft with somebody who would talk loudly on their phone for the whole journey. It would disrupt yours and everybody else's flight.