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AFA-CWA Leads Fight Against Cell Phone Use on Airplanes
The Federal Communications Commission is considering lifting the current ban on the use of cell phones by airline passengers during flight, and that's a nightmare scenario for flight attendants and the traveling public, said Pat Friend, president of AFA-CWA.
AFA-CWA is leading the effort to block a move by the FCC to lift the ban. The FCC's public comment period closed April 11, and thousands of flight attendants, pilots and passengers have submitted comments, the overwhelming majority of them negative, said Friend.
A public survey conducted for CWA found that the overwhelming majority of passengers-63 percent-strongly opposed the use of cell phones during flight. Only 23 percent want the ban lifted.
A large majority, 78 percent, agreed with key concerns of flight attendants: that cell phones would increase stress and air rage, that they would distract from lifesaving emergency announcements, and could even be used by terrorists to coordinate attacks.
Despite a big push for the proposal from the aviation industry and some business interests, there are critical navigational and safety issues that have not yet been resolved, as well as concern about growing "air rage" incidents.
"Flight attendants are very concerned that passengers will be distracted from hearing important safety and emergency instructions," Friend said. "And imagine being sandwiched between non-stop 'phone-yakkers' for a four- or five-hour flight. That's a sure prescription for air rage."
The FCC is only concerned with interference with commercial wireless communications on the ground, but an expert study of cell phone use and flight safety issues conducted for the Federal Aviation Administration won't be completed for another year. Many pilots have filed incident reports about the problems cell phone use already has caused with the Aviation Safety Reporting System, a project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
More information is available at www.nocellphonesonplanes.com.
AFA-CWA is leading the effort to block a move by the FCC to lift the ban. The FCC's public comment period closed April 11, and thousands of flight attendants, pilots and passengers have submitted comments, the overwhelming majority of them negative, said Friend.
A public survey conducted for CWA found that the overwhelming majority of passengers-63 percent-strongly opposed the use of cell phones during flight. Only 23 percent want the ban lifted.
A large majority, 78 percent, agreed with key concerns of flight attendants: that cell phones would increase stress and air rage, that they would distract from lifesaving emergency announcements, and could even be used by terrorists to coordinate attacks.
Despite a big push for the proposal from the aviation industry and some business interests, there are critical navigational and safety issues that have not yet been resolved, as well as concern about growing "air rage" incidents.
"Flight attendants are very concerned that passengers will be distracted from hearing important safety and emergency instructions," Friend said. "And imagine being sandwiched between non-stop 'phone-yakkers' for a four- or five-hour flight. That's a sure prescription for air rage."
The FCC is only concerned with interference with commercial wireless communications on the ground, but an expert study of cell phone use and flight safety issues conducted for the Federal Aviation Administration won't be completed for another year. Many pilots have filed incident reports about the problems cell phone use already has caused with the Aviation Safety Reporting System, a project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
More information is available at www.nocellphonesonplanes.com.