Story: First in-flight mobile call made on Emirates plane

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if only it COULD be silent

This is probably the worst thing that could happen to air travel.

It's already stressful enough - we all know why: delays; large, confusing airports; too many people in too many queues; luggage going missing; US custom officials. And don't start me on connecting flights.

In amongst all this, the flights themselves tend to be a slightly cramped oasis of calm.

Now...
Mobile phone conversations are louder than face-to-face ones because of poor speakers, microphones and connections. Adding ambient aircraft noise, confined conditions and a larger-than-average proportion of pompous idiots, the whole thing becomes an air-rage magnet.

Text messaging might be acceptable, but only if phones were silent - ie no keypress bloops or youhavereceivedanewmessage beeps or buzzes.

And how are you going to enforce that one?

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