When I think about the miracle of flight, I sometimes recall Simon & Garfunkel’s song I Am a Rock, I Am an Island. Up here, among the clouds, lies the last stronghold in the world where we can remain unlocatable. “Oh, sorry, I won’t be able to attend the meeting,” you might say, “at that hour I am on the plane.” But all good things end.
Now that British Airways is launching high-speed internet connectivity across its entire fleet, the airline has announced that it will allow passengers to make and receive telephone calls and videoconferences aboard the aircraft. Here the disappointment is twofold: on one hand, they are voluntarily surrendering the sanctity of the temporary isolation that flying provides and permitting phone use as in any other place; on the other, British Airways seems to think that all of its passengers will make use of this privilege responsibly without being harshly heard by their voices and those coming from phone speakers by people sharing the space with them.
Let us consider, for example, actor Matthew Rhys, who this week granted an interview to the Wall Street Journal censuring, with good reason, the growing reluctance to use headphones among people who watch videos in public spaces worldwide. Even in the quiet carriage of the train from which I am writing this, there was someone watching a humorous YouTube video at full volume, with no headset in sight, until the conductor stepped in to ask them to stop. On Mother’s Day, in the subway, I sat next to a woman playing mobile slot machines, with coin sounds blasting loudly.
British Airways, for its part, has a request on its website in the section where they explain how they expect this option to work: “be considerate, please.” The guide for videoconferencing on the plane asks that headphones be used and that one speaks in a low voice: “Please always use headphones when listening to or viewing content on your device.” They ask for it, and I do as well.
“To put it plainly, the launch of British Airways’ Wi‑Fi connection is focused on delivering the highest-quality Wi‑Fi during flight, not on encouraging travelers to make calls,” a airline spokesperson told Condé Nast Traveler. “Customers overwhelmingly use the connection to send messages, watch streaming videos, and stay productive, and we have very clear policies to maintain a quiet and comfortable cabin environment, including guidelines related to the use of headphones and considerate behavior toward others.”
