I've just heard that airline passengers may soon be able to "chat away" on their cell phones during flights.

Either I completely misunderstand cell systems, or somehow folks are expecting to use cell systems, which transmit horizontally and switch from cell to cell every one to maybe three miles, to converse while more than five miles UP (HELLO! ! THAT'S UP! !) and while traveling five miles every thirty seconds (600 mph = 10 miles per minute).

This effort should not be described as enabling cell phone use but as enabling airlines to charge passengers for satellite communications using their oen cell phones.

Or they will use some sort of IP based network extender like the personal units that verizon and att have

Personally, I like being "unreachable" while in the air.

This will also inevitably lead to obnoxious people having loud conversations on their phones while the rest of the plane is trying to sleep. Super awesome.

I would almost rather listen to a baby cry than a woman scream into her cell phone x 20 within earshot.
F&chk, it is almost 2014, where is my jet pack?

They basically put a "tower" on the plane. They've been doing this for years, nothing new.

I was under the impression it was wifi only, not cellular signal. Obviously people could still facetime etc. But it shouldn't be ass bad as straight cell service. Of course you will have to pay as well. I love data on planes. I am thrilled that southwest let's you have your device on from takeoff to landing. On my way back from Denver in September I watched NFL Sunday ticket on my ipad. Missed the last portion oof a game cause you had to shut it off 20 minutes before you land.

By the way to do this all they need to do is puta femtocell on the plane. They all already have data.

The coverage patterns of the towers in place these days, is quite horizontal, and hence there is little coverage in the majority of cases, for an aircraft flying at altitude. The FCC has been worried about on aircraft use impacting the towers on the ground, but they are taking a look, as they rightfully assume not everyone remembers to turn on airplane mode, and they've received no complaints from the cellular carriers.

This story does a fairly decent job explaining what the FCC is considering, but it's still necessary to read a bit between the lines:

[Link: cnn.com]

So, from the story the aircraft will be fitted with an "Antenna". This "Antenna" is really the equivalent of a femtocell, with a special transmitter that would likely pick a satellite in range, and achieve enough gain to reach it. Since this involves hardware added to the aircraft, and some weight, you know they're not going to be giving this to passengers for free.

So, depending on the cost, it could be just an occasional conversation we would need to put up with, or it could turn into a cacophony of cell phone conversations. Personally, having the person in front of me recline their seat to the point where I don't have enough room to open my laptop screen to 90 degrees is bad enough, now they want to allow cell phone calls? Yikes! If this is true, even 1st class will likely become unbearable.

We can now use devices such as smart phones/Kindles and iPads throughout the flight, without the incessant orders from nagging stewardesses to turn them off until we reach 10,000 feet/for the last 30 minutes of the flight.

Basically this is an acknowledgement that the devices pose no safety thread, and it's OK to read a book (or whatever) on them. People are not allowed to make phone calls.

Actually David, they are talking about allowing cell service on flights. But they will do the old not until we are at 10K ft, and no more when we are about to land. [Link: upi.com]

Crying babies, loud talkers and small bladders that need me to get up 2 or 3 times during the flight....Things that i wish were not allowed on airplanes. Flying sucks enough without them. I sure as hell don't want to listen to someone scream into their phone for a few hours. If that happens i will start bringing a battery operated iPhone dock so i can blast my music behind them.

I was just about to come back and correct myself, after reading about it. I am going to go out on a limb here and bet it will never happen. Unlike wifi use, no one wants this. Most passengers don't want it, the airlines sure as hell don't want it. Crazy.

They even showed up poll on the news, 97% of people voted no.

Just make the planes faster. Cut down flight times, thus cutting down the time you will be annoyed. We need NOS.....now!!

Bring back the concorde for domestic flights? Nah, make it easier than that. Beam me up Scotty!

?t=2m30s

Edit: shoot, the cackling idiots in the PIP cut the video at the best part. I tried to find the original clip, it used to be all over, but no doubt the idiot network issued takedown notices because of course it would be horribly dangerous to allow a famous 3-minute clip from a 10 year old episode of Conan to be on youtube,