AP: EU Allows Mobile Phones on Airplanes. Under the plan approved Monday, cell phone users could make and receive calls through an onboard base station. They will be allowed to turn their phones on after the plane reaches 10,000 feet, when other electronic devices such as portable music players and laptops are permitted. But a host of issues remain, from the cost of mid-flight phone service, to backlash from those who dread the thought of being trapped for hours listening to one-sided conversations.

Uh, oh…

I have no issue with someone making a mobile call in a quiet and unobtrusive way, preferably turning away from me and others so that we’re not bombarded with information we really don’t want to hear. Even a quick call to let someone know that the plane has landed is fine with me. It’s the loud, long, and ultimately selfish mobile callers who raise my ire.

To make the point that the chatter is intrusive, I sometimes visibly listen to the person who’s talking, and even take notes if obviously listening doesn’t work. Amazing how quickly these folks wrap up their calls.

This also works when people around me are having a loud conversation and ignore requests to lower the volume. (Most people in my experience simply don’t realize they’re bothering others, and are glad to tone it down when asked politely.)

Of course, my ultimate defense is listening to music with my noise-canceling headset. That should not be necessary in a halfway civilized world.