Airplanes are about to be as quiet as libraries.
Gone are the days of having to shush flyers or throw some nasty side-eye at your seatmate because Congress has officially introduced another bill to ban phone calls during flights. The Quiet Skies Act is a rare move of bipartisan legislation that would “finalize a ban on in-flight calls on commercial planes.”
If passed, the bill would force the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to officially uphold a previous law — The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The legislation required the FAA to review whether or not regulations were needed regarding passenger voice calls during flights.
Despite the law passing, Congress never set a deadline, which led to the ban never being implemented. And eight years later, passengers are still taking calls in seats, annoying everyone in their row.
However, Democratic U.S. Representatives Greg Stanton and Hillary Scholten were joined by Republicans Rick Crawford and Rob Bresnahan, who all sponsored the legislation, with Congresswoman Scholten citing a “disruptive distraction.”
“The bottom line is simple: a disruptive cabin is a distraction, and distractions put safety at risk,” said Congresswoman Scholten. “Back in 2018, Congress passed a law requiring the FAA to ban voice calls on commercial flights, and eight years later, that still hasn’t happened. Our bipartisan bill gives the FAA 180 days to finally finish the job and protect passenger safety as well as passenger sanity.”
Rep. Bresnahan acknowledged how aggravating a call on a plane can be, saying, “No one wants to be stuck next to a stranger’s phone call for three hours at thirty thousand feet.”
If the bill passes, airlines will have within 180 days to start enforcing — which means your next flight could be much more peaceful.
It’s unlike Congress to legislate cabin conduct, as airlines are given breathing room to set their own policies. However, lawmakers have stepped in when it relates to the health and safety of flyers. For example, the government has banned smoking and vaping on flights and even required masks during the pandemic.
Banning phone calls or FaceTiming may fall under a safety concern, as distractions could make it difficult for other passengers to hear announcements from the pilot or crew. The bill is in lock-step with major airlines who have already added their own phone policies.
American Airlines, Southwest and United all have strict bans on in-flight phone calls. Earlier this year, British Airways took a different flight path, allowing flyers to take phone and videos mid-flight with the help of Starlink WiFi — a high-speed, satellite internet service from SpaceX.
Similarly, Virgin Atlantic allows phone calls on aircraft with Starlink available, but does not authorize video calls.
Flight attendants have entered the chat, detailing their experience with pesky passengers in a Reddit post.
“Flying will truly become hell if passengers all start taking calls in flight,” an attendant said. Another user chimed in, “On a flight I took to London, the guy next to me was on his phone for about three hours. Non-stop.”
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