Travelers aren’t as adamantly against the use of Internet connections for computers and pda’s such as Blackberrys. Those devices are quiet. Many passengers already use their laptop computers on a flight; it’s just not connected to the Internet when they use it. Being able to send and receive e-mail messages while on a flight could be convenient to most people, particularly business travelers. There doesn’t seem to be much of a debate over these devices as long as safety is not a concern.

What Can be Done?

When should you start being concerned with this issue? As of right now, US carriers don’t seem to be considering using OnAir or any service like it. A report on MSN Travel said that the airlines that they asked – AirTran, Spirit, and US Airways – all said that they have heard their passengers say they don’t want mobile phones used on planes and are against adding the services. However, the question is, if these services do catch on in Europe and prove to be a money maker for the carriers who use it, will the US carriers jump on board? In an era of shrinking profits, will they be able to resist?

So if the trial that AirFrance is giving OnAir proves to be successful and the US carriers jump on board, what can be done to make sure that mobile phone usage does not become a problem on board?

One solution is to have no cell phone usage times. Perhaps next to the little light above your seat that lets you know if you need to have your seat belt fastened or not, there could be another light that lets you know if it’s the proper time to use your cell phone or not. Cell phone time could be restricted on long flights and on flights that are overnight when most people would want to sleep.

Another solution is to give the crew the ability to disable the voice function on devices during restricted times. During those times text messaging and e-mailing would be allowed, but talking would be disabled.