Labor & Employment Law

Hang Up and Fly?Tell Senate to Back In-Flight Cell Phone Ban

By Mike Hall

If you get a chance, take a minute and do your part for airline safety and passenger sanity. The Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) ) is urging the U.S. Senate to maintain the ban on in-flight cell phone use. Click here to send your senators a message.

The ban was included in the House-passed version of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill (H.R. 915) in May. The Senate is expected to act this summer. The union says:

“Cell phone usage in the cabin would create a new security risk, compromise flight attendants job of safely executing an emergency evacuation, and ability to maintain order within the cabin amongst cabin noise and tension.”

From the passengers’ viewpoint, don’t forget the possible nightmare of a middle seat, cross-country flight stuck next to a serial yakker. In an interview on the travel blog GADLING, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) says the cell phone ban goes beyond just eliminating the annoyance factor.

Everyone has experienced poor cell phone etiquette and how annoying it can be. Our bill will make sure the current ban on in-flight cell phone use is not lifted. Beyond the annoyance factor, this is a safety issue. Flight attendants already have to deal with people that will not hang up their phones, and physical altercations between passengers are not unheard of. Also, in-flight cell phone use is not conducive to providing safety instructions and other important announcements.

Click here to send a message to your senators urging them to maintain the in-flight cell phone ban.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on July 02, 2009 (boomark / email).