Advisory committee: Airlines should decide on allowing in-flight calls

A committee under the Transportation Department on Tuesday, Sept. 1, approved a recommendation stating that airlines should possess discretion in whether to allow passengers to make phone calls during flights.

“We recommend that if safe and secure, that the Department of Transportation allow airlines to decide whether to permit passengers to use mobile devices for voice calls,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who is chairman of the advisory panel, USA Today reported.

The panel, composed of four airline and consumer representatives, met in Washington, according to Bloomberg. It also assesses the Transportation Department’s consumer protection programs.

The advisory committee’s recommendation comes more than one year after federal agencies gathered thousands of complaints against the possibility that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  would lift the ban.

In December 2013, the FCC agreed to consider removing the ban on in-flight calls, which went into effect in 1991.

The proposal, however, drew much opposition: the FCC collected 1,400 comments, virtually all of which were against it.

Members of Congress said they would present legislation to ban calls if the FCC decides to allow in-flight calls; travelers, among others, are not pleased with the idea of seat mates chatting while onboard packed flights. Flight attendants have also raised the possibility of terrorists using cellphones to communicate attacks.

“We’ll keep the wishes of our customers in mind if the rules governing cell phone use shift from the government to individual airlines,” Matt Miller, a spokesman for American Airlines Group Inc., told Bloomberg.

Should the FCC decide to permit mobile phones and devices, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety regulations would still remain in place, the Department of Transportation said in a notice last year, according to Bloomberg. Before the ban is lifted, aircraft operators would need to confirm that equipment would not affect aircraft systems, the publication reported.

USA Today reported that many foreign airlines already provide cellular service, including calls, demonstrating the safety, supporters say.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told Congress that the reasoning behind the ban is no longer applicable as aircrafts today have their own cell towers, the publication reported.

The advisory committee’s recommendation is non-binding, and the FCC and Transportation Department have yet to set a date on when to decide on the issue, according to USA Today.