I like the idea of being able to text in-flight. That makes sense.

Making a call from a cruising airplane seems dubious. The noise-level on a plane would require the person to scream. I think that's kind of what a lot of people are afraid of.

I recently read in the Economist which may have referenced the same study that said that in their trials the average call-time was less than 3 minutes. A two-minute call is no problem. My fear is some corporate schmuck decides to make a 30-minute conference call from his seat next to me and I have to listen to him screaming for 30 minutes.

I can't believe there's even a chance we might end up having to tolerate a cabin full of yammerheads blathering into their cellphones about whatever inane bullshit is rattling around between their ears.

then I will exercise my right not to bathe before flying. That'll keep their mouth closed (and nose too).

I already have to listen to my neighbor's movie/music which is turned up so loudly it's blaring out their nose. I can't face having to listen to half of Jane's and John's conversation about how much they'll miss each other or which one was supposed to take the dogs to the kennel or any other subject.

I have had pleasant conversations with people in the adjoining seat, which we usually stop when the lights go out for the movie or sleeping.

Overall, we are talking about adding to noise in a closed environment. There are already children whose ears hurt from the air pressure, and adults who can't modulate their voices, and the ubiquitous music mentioned above. It's not like we can take a walk on the wing to get away from it.

"...airlines are employing on-board gear from U.K.-based company AeroMobile (and a competitor, OnAir), whose technology routes the signal through the plane's communications system"

Even ancient cell phones from seven years ago worked perfectly at cruising altitude and speed. Wonder what phones and providers the passengers of Pennsylvania flight whatever on 911 were using . Gotta get me some of that solid cell action.

This is a fine example of an issue the federal government needs to stay out of (have they solved all the nation's other problems now?).

Public opinion changes, technology changes, social customs change over time. Heck, 60 years ago would have found that the majority of Americans didn't believe men should be flight attendants.

Let the airlines and their customers deal with this.

Then one trip in from Montreal changed my mind. It was a late flight - landing about 1 in the morning (flight delays, not planned). The plane was half empty and we were spread out on our seats dozing comfortably in the dark cabin when the plane landed, but the pilot told us that due to some kind of airport mix-up we would have to wait a while for a berth to disembark. Okay. Tired, but grateful to be home (we barely missed being snowed in at 2 points), we settled in to wait. Then a woman got on her cell phone and proceeded to tell a friend loudly all about her trip and the sex districts in Montreal and some underwear she had purchased. I'm not a prude, but I felt like I was listening in, and I couldn't help it. I was trapped.

As far as I'm concerend, nobody should be allowed to use a cell phone on an airplane, ever. It's like smoking on a plane. Your fellow flyers are trapped, unable to avoid your conversation. And quiet planes echo sounds quite well. I heard every detail of this woman's trip. It's not about the safety of the plane - it's about the sanity of the passengers.

@Mr Smith: Indeed, from several of my own experiences some people are already exercising their right not to bathe...

It does kind of come down to whether you think this is more like smelling rank, which they don't ban (although I have a friend who was on a flight where someone was removed for a tremendously offensive smell), or smoking, which they do. Smoking, of course, is a true health risk for everyone on board. Proponents of the cell phone ban argue that it will prevent "air rage," a potential health hazard. But that's really a secondary effect, at best. Listening to babies scream on a cross-country flight drives me crazy. But I don't think they should ban babies on planes.

@Hermaclitus: There seems to have always been a bit of uncertainty about the 9/11 in-flight cell phone usage, but from what I can tell the going theory is that flight 93 was flying relatively low when passengers were using cell phones. True, too, that the old school analog phones had way better reach.

For those of you who like to talk non stop on your cell phones in public about your personal and business issues, I just don't think you realize how annoying you really are. Most conversation I hear are entirely pointless. I am always grateful when I get on the plane and those damn phones go off. The worst are those of you walking down the street with the ear phones talking non stop. You kind of remind me of the homeless, mentally ill who talk themselves.

Those on their feet talking are just as much a traffic hazard as those in cars.

The other annoying practice are those who play bonging, binging computer games while wiggling constantly in their seats during flight. READ!

mark my words-more incidents of plane rage, assault, and in flight altercations. Some psychology students will be getting a phD based on this.

If some asshole decides to exercise their right to talk like an asshole on the plane, then I will simply exercise my right to smash their face. I'm dead serious. Air travel is horrific enough. Text? Fine? But I know from seeing this fucking Blackberry addicts log on as soon as they can like a goddamn meth-head, they will be yakking & yakking & yakking. The solution? Treat their face to nice fist.