Airlines and Cell Phones

Jagdish Bhagwati, one of the most prominent economists in international trade theory, recently weighed in on a topic that is near and dear to my heart.  It’s only indirectly related to international trade – it has to do with the impending approval of cell phone use on airlines.

Bhagwati wrote an op ed piece in the Financial Times last week entitled “Fight the Phone Invasion at 30,000 Feet”.  Observing that noise pollution in public spaces on the ground is spreading like bird flu, Bhagwati warns that:

The final straw in the US (followed, presumably, by everywhere else in rapid sequence) is the impending decision to allow the use of mobile phones on flights. In this way, loud passengers will be free to jabber away in a closed cabin, saying "hi" to Joey, Joel and Josie at home just for the heck of it, or conducting their business, which is no concern of yours, by public declamation.

Bhagwati is passionate and eloquent in his opposition to this new intrusion on our privacy.  Personally, I treasure my time on airplanes as one of the few occasions when I can be out of range in an increasingly connected world. It is the one place where Linda Stone’s “continuous partial attention” still has not become the dominant mode of interaction.

We are already seeing assaults on this sanctuary in terms of wireless data connections that allow us to access the Internet and e-mail while flying 30,000 feet above the ground.  I am proud that I have generally managed to resist the temptation to connect while flying.

But this extension of the connected world is far less upsetting to me.  At least I have the choice whether or not to connect.  If my seatmate chooses to connect, it makes no difference to me.

Cell phones are another thing entirely.  Even if I choose not to connect via cell phone while flying, I am still at the mercy of anyone within a three to four seat radius of me who chooses to connect.  The sanctuary walls will be irretrievably breached.

Bhagwati does not really offer any great solutions for this attack on our privacy.  My personal hope is that some airlines will decide to block cell phone usage in an effort to attract passengers from the airlines that do allow cell phone usage.  Those airlines will have my undying loyalty – I will forgive them all their other service shortfalls.  In an effort to encourage airlines to think twice before approving cell phone usage, I encourage all of you to contact the airlines you fly most often and express your opposition to this assault on our privacy.

In the meantime, if Bose were a public company, I would advise you to go long on Bose stock.  Their QuietComfort 2 noise canceling headphones will become essential travel accessories for anyone seeking respite from the growing cacophony in the air.

Comments

[littlemoney]

all cellphone users have a proper ethics, especially in airports....

[Rich Miller]

John, I definitely concur! However, I'm not very confident in our ability to overcome the combined forces of cellular telephony interests and airlines. So, I've started the contingency planning. It might just work.

http://telematique.typepad.com/twf/2006/04/airlines_cell_p.html

[Denis Waters]

Why is it that some people in airport lounges have to talk so loudly into their cell phones that the whole area becomes privy (is that word related to privacy?) to their personal and professional business? Is it something to do twith the smaller the phone the louder I have to talk? It should be incumbent on cell phone retailers to inform the purchasers that there microphone have a tremendous pick up and yelling is not necessary.