Europe to allow constant inflight phone calls

BERLIN – European skies may soon be alive with the sound of small talk with new safety rules allowing the use of all portable electronics, including cellphones, at any time during flights.

Under the guidelines issued Friday by the European Aviation Safety Agency, European airlines can allow passengers to use electronics during the entire flight, without putting them into “airplane mode.”

“We’re basically opening the door where, in theory, you’ll be able to continue making your phone call through the gate throughout the flight … like you would on a train,” spokesman Ilias Maragakis told the Associated Press.

Standing in the way is the difficulty of getting a cellphone signal at high altitudes, and also how passengers will react to the thought of sitting next to a chatterbox across the Atlantic.

That’ll be up to the airlines to figure out as they implement the new rules. In most European trains, for example, there are “silent” cars where talking on phones is prohibited, but it seems unlikely a scheme like that would work on anything but the largest jets.

In addition to phones, the guidelines apply to all other portable electronics, including book readers, tablet computers, MP3 players and other devices.

Airlines now will need to decide what devices they will allow and how they will allow them to be used. In practice, that likely will take several months as airlines first will have to certify that their planes aren’t affected by transmission signals.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration last year lifted its restrictions on the use of most personal electronic devices during takeoffs and landings – but not cellphone calls, which fall under the Federal Communications Commission.