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On March 19, British Airways began allowing passengers to make video calls during flights. Dear reader, not all progress is good.
To be clear, I am not blaming British Airways for this behavior. Airlines need to provide the amenities passengers want, and if technology allows for this level of in-flight connectivity, there’s no reason for companies to hold back.
But more broadly, this is a sad move for all of us. Not only because I still think of airplanes as one of the last places you can truly be without contact for a few hours, but also because I don’t trust people to be respectful about it.
I live in New York City, and I actually see a lot of people making FaceTime calls without headphones on public transportation or other shared spaces. I think you would find it even more of a nuisance if you were stuck inside a metal tube with them for hours on end.
British Airways was one of the first airlines to formally introduce this feature, and I believe this is just the beginning of a change in the future of flying.
What is British Airway’s new policy?
When British Airways rolls out high-bandwidth Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet, passengers will be able to use their onboard connectivity to make voice and video calls over the internet.
Airlines ask passengers to use headphones and lower their voices when speaking, but I doubt this will work on all flights.
At least one etiquette expert shares my concerns.
“In my experience as a human being and someone who commits etiquette crimes all day long, I’m nervous,” Nick Layton, an etiquette expert and co-host of the podcast “Were you Raraised by Wolves,” told me. “I’ve been on flights for eight hours with people playing Candy Crush loudly…That puts[the flight attendant]in a very awkward position.”
Like Layton, I don’t believe that gentle reminders can quell the noise.
Do US airlines allow in-flight phone calls?
For now, U.S. airlines generally prohibit phone calls during flights, but that could change.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission prohibits calls using cellular networks during flight, but there are no regulations explicitly prohibiting calls over Wi-Fi.
It’s up to individual airline policies, and as U.S. airlines roll out free high-speed internet onboard, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before in-flight phones become more common here, too.
Like British Airways, United Airlines is rolling out Starlink across its fleet, so passengers will soon have the technical ability to make Wi-Fi calls on United flights. But for now, the airline told me there are no changes to its in-flight calling policy.
American Airlines, British Airways’ largest partner in the U.S., is also working to roll out free Wi-Fi to AAdvantage loyalty program members. Asked whether the airline would follow its partners’ lead regarding in-flight calls, an airline spokesperson said it had no comment.
So far, no other U.S. carriers have announced plans to introduce in-flight calling, but if they did, it would be a throwback of sorts.
Historically, many aircraft were equipped with Airfone. Airfone is a back-mounted device that allows passengers to call their contacts on the ground while in flight. However, Leighton pointed out that they were not widely used.
“The only reason Airfone worked 20 years ago is because it was so expensive that no one used it,” he says. Cheap, high-quality connectivity will allow more people to make calls from 35,000 feet.
“We’ve all been on Amtrak where people are on the phone the whole time. We know how this goes,” Leighton said.
What to do if you make a phone call while flying
For the sake of sanity, I hope travelers don’t take advantage of the in-flight Wi-Fi calling feature, but I’m not optimistic.
If you need to make a short phone call during the flight, Leighton recommends getting up and going to the galley so other passengers don’t have to hear your conversation. Or, he said, airlines could sacrifice restrooms to build phone booths onboard planes.
Beyond that, he said, there may be another old-fashioned solution to reducing noise.
“It’s a ‘telephone’ corner that looks like an old smoking area,” Leighton said.
He probably didn’t mean it, but he made another great point. That means we should all strive to reduce our dependence on mobile phones.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and can be reached at zwichter@usatoday.com.
