Noise issues on public transport cause violently split opinions, particularly with regard to mobile phone use and playing music or videos.
We’ve all been irritated on the bus by someone having a too-loud conversation with a distant friend, or schoolchildren thinking they look cool by playing a tinny racket for several miles. But at the same time, most of us have been in the position of having to make a call ourselves at some point – and however subtle we think we’re being, there’ll be someone sharing the journey who hates it.
Those who like quiet journeys will be perturbed to learn that mobile phone calls are now permitted on board some aeroplane flights, with Virgin Atlantic allowing phone conversations, text messages, emails and web use on its London to New York route. Unlike trains, planes don’t have several carriages, so there can be no ‘quiet coach’.
However, how different are mobile phone to people who chat to their flight companions? It is a bit annoying to hear only one side of a conversation instead of the more balanced experience of both, but in terms of noise, it surely can’t make a tremendous difference.
Noise can be a cause of stress, but for business people making long flights on a regular basis, the ability to communicate is likely to improve their ability to get work done and reduce their stress – so it really depends on the mix of people on the flight, I suppose.
Maybe in the future we’ll start getting a choice of ‘quiet flights’ and ‘communicative flights’. Only time will tell.
