Cell Phone Yakkers On Planes
It was disappointing to hear that some airlines – including Hawaiian – are going to allow passengers to use their cell phones while inside the aircraft. It doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.
I could be the only person who thinks it’s not a good idea. I can’t think of anything more annoying than sitting next to someone on an airplane or in a airport lobby who is taking one call after another from friends, trying to get in a last goodbye. The most recent research, according to the airline industry, is that the cell phone calls are not a safety hazard as once thought.
About the same time this discussion was going on, the U.S. Army began two-person patrols on Schofield Barracks to make sure members adhere to a stricter dress code, salute whenever the opportunity presents itself, wear their caps correctly, and not let their pants fall too low around their waist and show their underwear. There are other suggestions including not walking and talking on a cell phone while on base.
One can only imagine how many exceptions there are to these new airline policies, but it seems a little ridiculous to me. It’s obvious that airlines believe more people will have a better experience on the aircraft if they can call anyone anywhere while in transit to their destination – no matter how annoying it is to other passengers.
It would seem a little far-fetched to assume that walking and using a cell phone would hamper the combat effectiveness of military personnel on base. Maybe the idea is to promote the right-hand salute to officers, even though that’s the protocol anyway.
We can’t really do anything about the airlines decision to allow the noisy, annoying cell phones being used on the airplane and getting the Army to change their policies for cell phone use when compared to other more pressing issues, like people killing each other with car bombs.
I guess all we can do is support our military a little more and let them know every which way how much they are appreciated, especially during the holidays when many of them are separated from their families – even if they miss a salute now and then.
ksskcoach@aol.com
