Snakes on the Plane?

[Steely Glint]

And if there were a dozen? I think you'd notice.

Only if it was a dozen within the immediate vicinity, which isn't very likely - and even then it's just another bit of noise in an already noisy environment.

Imagine a cabin where half the passengers are talking on cell phones, and that strange phenomenon of speaking louder when there's a bad connection -- as if that helps. Not to mention those who get louder with every beer or cocktail.

I seriously doubt half the plane are going to want to talk on their cell phones at the same time. It's not like a modern smart phone doesn't offer about half-a-dozen different methods of getting in touch with someone.

The decibel level would be much higher than the low buzz of conversations between seat mates.

GG, the decibel level inside a cabin without a single soul in it is going to be somewhere between the low 70s and high 80s depending on the make of plane, how close you are to the engines you're sat and so on. That's as loud as a busy office, or being in the same room as someone using a hoover. You're just not going to hear someone nattering on their cell phone two or three aisles forward or behind. Sure, if everyone in your row, and the rows immediately in front and behind you suddenly decided to make a telephone call at the same time, then I concede that might be irritating for at least, oooh, 5 whole minutes of an [x] hour flight - but how likely is that, really

[Hazir]

I rarely use my phone for actual talking. Typical use includes whatsapp, social websites and some google. I have 1300 minutes a month which I never even get close to actually using. Ending the ban on using my phone in an airplane will probably not change that very much.

[GGT]

I seriously doubt half the plane are going to want to talk on their cell phones at the same time. It's not like a modern smart phone doesn't offer about half-a-dozen different methods of getting in touch with someone.

Well, I'm talking about (US) Americans...and our reputation for being obnoxious travelers isn't an unfounded stereotype.

GG, the decibel level inside a cabin without a single soul in it is going to be somewhere between the low 70s and high 80s depending on the make of plane, how close you are to the engines you're sat and so on. That's as loud as a busy office, or being in the same room as someone using a hoover. You're just not going to hear someone nattering on their cell phone two or three aisles forward or behind. Sure, if everyone in your row, and the rows immediately in front and behind you suddenly decided to make a telephone call at the same time, then I concede that might be irritating for at least, oooh, 5 whole minutes of an [x] hour flight - but how likely is that, really

Some flights are notorious for being "loud". Not just non-stops to/from Vegas (for obvious reasons) but also hell-flights through Newark, NJ -- often filled with people who treat flying as business time, the plane as their office, and think their voice is more powerful than text.

[Dreadnaught]

Actually, that is not true; it is perfectly legal to use a phone on a plane for as long as I can remember. They just don't want it to be your cellphone; they rather have you use the one that makes them $3 a minute. The rules most likely will not be set according to what is safe or what annoys some hyper sensitive type less, but how much money they can make on a call.

I forgot about those things. I think I saw one on a plane two years ago and realized that I hadn't seen one for about six or seven years before that. Do you see them often?

Have to buy an *insert your airline here* mobile temporary plan or simcard to access the cellular service in the sky, just think of how much they can clean up by doing that and still selling their wifi.

I assume it is already possible to make a phone call using google voice, skype, or a similar service while in flight using the airline's wifi?

I believe the wifi networks have bandwidth shaping and IP restrictions that prevent those services from being used. I've never tried...

[Hazir]

I forgot about those things. I think I saw one on a plane two years ago and realized that I hadn't seen one for about six or seven years before that. Do you see them often?



I believe the wifi networks have bandwidth shaping and IP restrictions that prevent those services from being used. I've never tried...

I hadn't seen them for a long time but I think they are making a come-back as they appear to be integrated into the control set of the newer entertainment systems.

The few flights with WiFi I had all had throttled WiFi, you hardly could do more than minimal e-mail and some IM, to me the WiFi seemed like a scam to sell their streaming of movies etc. Because odly enough (well, not really) for that there was no scarcity of bandwith.