The anti-call passengers make a valid point about unwanted noise. The cabin of an airliner can be chaotic and loud, so why add to the confusion?

But their main argument that it somehow makes a flight less safe doesn’t fly. Swarun Kumar, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, said aviation safety experts are no longer concerned that wireless calls could interfere with cockpit equipment.

“In fact, using data when airborne is technically not a violation, and, of course, plenty of travelers use in-flight Wi-Fi,” he said.

So maybe the time is right to consider allowing phone calls on domestic airlines, which EU regulators have already recognized. You can’t turn the cabin into a no-call zone in 2023. People need to communicate. But there’s a right way to do it.