Delta gets the message: No voice calls allowed during flight

Frequent (and considerate) flyers, rejoice! Provided you fly Delta, of course — the airline’s CEO Richard Anderson has reaffirmed that voice calls will have no place on all of its flights.

In November, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission began mulling over permitting travelers to make calls and use their data plans while in the air. Only weeks earlier, restrictions on device use were relaxed, paving the way for uninterrupted angry bird-on-pig action from gate to gate. But in-flight cellphone calls remained a worrying proposition: While FCC studies have asserted that mobile phones don’t pose a safety threat, the prospect of being trapped next to an especially talkative fellow passenger for hours at a time should strike fear into the heart of the most stalwart frequent flyer.

Fortunately, Delta gets the message. Citing a 2012 survey (and perhaps, common sense), Anderson explains that a majority of customers said “the ability to make voice calls onboard would detract from … their experience.” And Delta employees agreed.

With in-flight Wi-Fi becoming an increasingly obvious competitive advantage for airlines, there’ll be no shortage of ways to reach out while you’re up in the air — Southwest even offers Apple messaging service for two bucks, if your fingers need a workout. But it would seem that airlines are keen on keeping things silent.