Airplane Mode

Flying has been a big part of our lives since we moved to NYC. Flying to different destinations to see family and friends, going on a couple of vacations, and attending weddings have taken us out of the city more than I had anticipated. By my estimation we have spent approximately one week out of the city for every month we have lived here. So figure at least twenty four flights over the last two years.  I pretty much knew the flying had taken a toll when I was looking out my window for The Arch of St. Louis while taking off from Kansas City this week. Oops.

 Our flights to Kansas for Thanksgiving were the first we've flown since the FAA approved the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing  - as long as they are in airplane mode. No more grabbing for newspapers or magazines while waiting for the magical 10,000 feet "you can now use your devices" blessing. Fire those e-books up and read your way from gate to gate! And there is just something about those two segments of a flight that beg for musical accompaniment. Taking off to a soft piano/guitar serenade and landing with Frank Sinatra belting "New York, New York" seems fitting.

What I am not ready for and will never be ready for is approval of cell phone calls during flights. I was already ensconced in my window seat with my husband in his aisle seat when much to our dismay we acquired a middle seat partner. She put a carry-on in the overhead bin, maneuvered into her seat, stuffed additional bags around her feet, gyrated around until she could find her seat belts, all while carrying on a business conversation. Had she had approval to make calls during the flight I have no doubt in my mind that by the time we landed I would have known her clients names, who was/or wasn't performing their jobs, what their goals were, and a checklist of how they were going to get things done. Thanks but no thanks, FAA.

I figure people can sleep, sit quietly, read books, listen to music, use wi-fi to text or write e-mails, or converse (softly!) with their seat partners. I don't want to hear anyone making hair appointments, describe ailments to their doctors, get tax advice, try to recruit the next hot athlete, or gossip about their neighbors.

I figure if our electronic devices can have an airplane mode then so can people.