Phones To Be Allowed On Planes

Apr 30 2003 - 05:54 PM ET | Miscellaneous

Following up our story on Tuesday, we have found an airline that is going to allow passengers to use non-voice functions of their mobile phones while flying. Don't celebrate too much though--it's Scandinavian Airlines. Now, we're sure than Scandinavian Airlines is a fine operation, but don't expect the FAA here in the USA to jump on board the band wagon. We are still busy on cracking down on pilots flying naked--it will be a while until we get the OK on cell phones. Following up on the "non-voice" part... You can play games or use PIM functions, but don't try to log onto the net or make a call. It's not clear how this is going to be policed, but the threat of death sounds pretty good. Not all phones have a "flight" mode that shuts down communications. The company cited both the Sony Ericsson P800 and the Nokia Communicator but nothing else. Let's hope either scientists figure out how to shield the cockpits or big telco's make more phones plane ready.

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