A study published by Yahoo Mobilehas shown nearly three out of four consumers agree mobile phone use on planes should be limited to silent activities only.
The US has been the most vociferous against the proposed move to allow mobile use on planes, mainly because of the annoyance and disruption it would bring to nearby passengers.
However, should it be kept to just texting, emails and other such low-key activities, most of the 2,030 adults polled would be in favour.
"There is an increasing debate about the use of mobile phones on airplanes," said Bruce Stewart, Vice President and General Manager, Connected Life Americas, Yahoo.
"This new survey overwhelmingly proves the desire of consumers to stay connected to the people, information, interests and passions that are important to them while in-flight, but they don't want to be forced to listen to the conversation of the passenger sitting next to them."
It's still rubbish though
The idea of mixing phones and planes might seem a logical step, but there is still a long way to go in enabling the technology to be worth having.
The current tests have shown the voice call quality to be akin to taking to a robot in another room, with limited success at connecting. Current in-plane technology also limits the amount of people that can call at any one time.
According to the survey, more than two-thirds of passengers would be in favour of having a mobile chatting zone, where annoying passengers hell-bent on informing people they are on a plane and will be home in two hours can go and bellow to their heart's content.
