Poll shows strong opposition to in-flight calls
12/11/2013WASHINGTON — Many Americans who fly would rather not listen to other passengers make phone calls during a flight, a new poll says.
The Associated Press-GfK survey finds that 59 percent of travelers who’ve flown at least once in the past year oppose lifting the current ban on in-flight cellphone calls. Opposition rises to 78 percent among those who’ve flown more than four times.
The Federal Communications Commission is set to begin debate Thursday on a proposal to lift the phone-call restriction. The agency’s chairman has said there is no longer a technological reason to ban calls.
But just because technology has advanced, it doesn’t mean that etiquette has. Many fliers fear their fellow passengers will subject them to long-winded conversations that are impossible to avoid at 35,000 feet.