Fliers Reject Cell Phone Freedom

[영어도우미]

 

Fliers Reject Cell Phone Freedom
Wed Mar 29, 1:30 PM ET

My March 17 column about the fear of flying with cell phone freedom elicited lots of heated responses from readers. I'm sure there are travelers out there thrilled by the possibility of inflight cell phone use, but they seem to be keeping quiet about it.

 

Every person who wrote in said that, if given the chance, they would vote no on airlines allowing cell phone use on flights. A cluster of readers said the mere suggestion that cell phone conversations may begin moving freely about the cabin has them looking at alternative transportation like private jets.

 

"As far as I'm concerned,'' wrote one business traveler, "the only people [who] are that important and whose calls just can't wait until they get to their destination are flying private jets. For the rest of us flying commercial, give me a break. The call can wait until you get there.''

 

The airlines aren't getting much sympathy on the issue, even though they must be agonizing over how to cater to customers who want to use flight time to make calls while at the same time not offend the majority of travelers who want silence.

 

Mark Gillespie, a reader and frequent traveler as president of Optimus Executive Search, sent an e-mail offering an interesting solution: that airlines set specific times for people to use their phones. He suggests that cell phone conversation be banned on flights under an hour. On flights lasting one to four hours, travelers would be free to talk for the first 20 minutes in the air, and the last 20 minutes in the air. On long flights, airlines could set three or four 20-minute time slots for cell phone use.

 

for the complete article:

http://travel.news.yahoo.com/b/b_correa/20060329/b_correa/b_correa3328

 

QUESTIONS:

 

1. Are you in favor of allowing passengers to use their cell phones while flying? Why or why not?

 

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using cell phones on flights?

 

3. What do you think about Mark Gillespie's solution? Can it be helpful? Why or why not?

 

4. What are some of the things you do to keep yourself busy during a flight?

 

5. What was the longest flight you've experienced? Where did you go?