A proposed ban on in-flight calling has now passed its first major hurdle in Congress, getting approval from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a voice vote on Thursday.
The “Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace” (HANG UP) bill would make permanent the current ban on in-flight cellphone use. It would also put a stop to all in-flight voice communications, which its co-sponsors hope will prevent airlines from charging some passengers to use their own phones.
The bill still has a long ways to go before it becomes law, but may have a decent chance of going all the way.
“I do believe this is important that we don’t make what is already a crowded and difficult environment for the traveling public and flight attendants” worse by allowing cell phone use in-flight, said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., sponsor of the Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace (HANG UP) Act.
But Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said there are a lot of annoying things on airplanes, including children with dirty diapers and noisy MP3 players, but that doesn’t mean they should be banned.
Industry reaction is mixed for now. In-flight texting, Wi-Fi, and e-mail on airplanes would not be affected.
