Imagine being stuck in the middle seat of a cramped airplane, with your neighboring passengers conducting high-volume cellphone conversations for hours as you struggle to read, work or get some rest.
Or not being able to hear emergency announcements over the din of ringing cellphones. Or even experiencing an in-flight emergency when portable phone signals interfere with navigational equipment.
Those are the fears of a majority of travelers asked about whether cellphones should be allowed during flights, according to a new survey released Thursday by an airline union and a consumer group.
Passengers worry that cellphones in the sky could lead to annoyingly loud phone conversations, compromise flight safety and hurt the ability of airplane crews to do their jobs.
"We're not surprised that people responded so negatively to the idea of cellphone use being allowed on airplanes," said Susan Grant, vice president of the National Consumers League, which sponsored the survey with the Association of Flight Attendants.
The association, affiliated with the Communication Workers of America union, represents 46,000 flight attendants at 26 airlines, including United Airlines and U.S. Airways. It does not represent flight attendants at Fort Worth-based American Airlines or Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. It does, however, represent flight attendants at American Eagle, American's regional affiliate.
According to the survey, 63 percent of participants wanted to keep cellphone restrictions in place, while 21 percent favored cellphone use during flights.
The survey also found that:
78 percent of travelers worried that cellphone use could increase passenger unruliness and interfere with flight attendants' ability to maintain order.
78 percent believed that phones could distract passengers from hearing instructions during an emergency.
82 percent had concerns that cellphones might "make planes uncomfortable and be disruptive" to passengers trying to read or sleep.
87 percent said they were alarmed about reports that some pilots have had problems with navigational equipment because of cellphones or electronic equipment used during flights.
Although they did not participate in the survey, officials with the Transport Workers Union, which represents Southwest attendants, say their members also have concerns about cellphones in the sky.
"Southwest flight attendants are almost unanimously opposed to it," said Thom McDaniel, president of TWU Local 556. "They feel like their jobs are already challenging enough without having the additional disruptions that would come from cellphones."
American has been the most visible airline when it comes to exploring in-flight cellphone use. Last July, the airline invited reporters on a charter flight on an MD-80 jet on which new technology that allows in-flight cellphone calls was tested.
That test was done in a partnership with Qualcomm.
American spokesman Tim Wagner said Thursday that the airline continues to study the technology and that it hasn't made any decisions. The Federal Communications Commission, which would have to approve in-flight cellphone use, will accept comments from the public on the issue until May 26.
Wagner said a decision isn't expected until mid-2006.
"Businesspeople traveling want to be productive, and they've been very clear that they'd like to have access to cellphones while in flight," Wagner said.
But he added that "we also understand the social implications of this, and we're examining those implications."
Two possibilities, he said, would be to ban phone calls during certain portions of a flight, or to make part of the airplane "quiet zones," where phone calls are prohibited, similar to no-smoking areas in restaurants.
"It's funny that cellphone use has become so annoying that it's now being compared to smoking," the TWU's McDaniel said. He added that his union has urged members to contact the FCC and has linked to the agency on the union's Internet site.
Wagner also stressed that American is exploring other wireless communication, such as two-way pagers and wireless Internet connections, as well as phones.
He added that American plans to work closely with its unions if and when the technology is implemented.
"We're still in the process of researching and examining," he said.
