Last month, the Quiet Skies Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and could make taking phone or video calls on a flight illegal. Although Congress voted on it in 2018, the ban was never implemented because no deadline was set. If enforced, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would have to finalise the ban in 180 days.
Quiet Skies Act
The Quiet Skies Act was introduced by Democratic Representatives Greg Stanton and Hillary Scholten as well as Republican Representatives Rick Crawford and Rob Bresnahan. The premise is that passengers talking on telephones is both disruptive and distracting to other passengers and could reduce their ability to hear crew safety announcements.
United Airlines (UA), American Airlines (AA) and Southwest Airlines (WN) already prohibit in-flight calls. British Airways (BA) currently allows passengers to make phone calls using its Starlink WiFi service, which is also used by Lufthansa (LH), Qatar Airways (QR) and Emirates (EK). There are also other WiFi-enabled alternatives, such as Viasat or Amazon Leo, but rules on phone calls vary by airline (always check before flying). Viasat is currently used by Delta Air Lines (DL), but it has plans to switch to Amazon Leo in 2028.
Varying rules
While this new legislation is likely to apply only to flights originating from the United States, it will no doubt continue international debate on in-flight device rules. This extends beyond just phone calls to the use of onboard devices in general. In March of this year, for example, United Airlines formally updated its Carriage of Contract to require passengers to use headphones when using personal devices.
A blanket ban on in-flight phone calls would reduce ambiguity in the rules for passengers and help cabin crew avoid confrontations on the matter. However, business passengers may argue that they need to take phone calls, as do family members who may need to make important calls.
What do you think of this new U.S. bill to ban phone calls on flights? Do you make calls on flights, or have you been inconvenienced by another passenger who was on the phone? Let us know in the comments below.
