British Airways To Allow In-Flight Calls Using Starlink Wi-Fi. This Is a Terrible Idea.

There are very few places left where you are properly, gloriously unreachable, and goodness what a joy it is. No emails. No phone call. No “just looping you in” messages that absolutely did not need looping. Please. For all of our sakes stop. looping. me. in!

For years, the inside of an aircraft cabin has been one of them. The last bastion of quiet. A rare pocket of forced peace.

And now? British Airways is in the process of rolling out high-speed WiFi powered by Starlink (yes, that one, courtesy of Elon Musk), and with it comes the very real possibility of in-flight phone calls.

Not messages. Not emails. Actual. Out-loud. Phone calls.

And I’m sorry, but this isn’t just mildly annoying, it’s flipping appalling.

"Airplane mode" is not just safety, it was about sanity

Let’s just say it. The act of being on an airplane, aka airplane mode, has quietly become one of the best boundaries we have.

It’s one of the only times you can disappear for hours and nobody questions it.

Take that away, and what do you get? A cabin full of people half-working, half-resting, and fully listening to someone else say:“Can you hear me? I’m on the plane. Let's just circle back to the deck and talk through the sticking points”

Do not circle back, I am begging you! And do not talk me through the sticking point, because you my friend are about to become the sticking point!

High-speed, low-latency WiFi like Starlink isn't just going to enable the connectivity that every airline seems to be after, it's going to enable behaviour. Bad behaviour!

The tech is impressive. The use case? Hella questionable.

To be clear, the technology itself is brilliant.

Faster speeds, lower latency, more reliable connections over oceans, this is a huge upgrade for British Airways. It brings them in line (or ahead) of competitors and genuinely improves the onboard experience ... when used well.

Streaming your favourite comfort film? Totally great. Messaging your loved ones? Absolutely fine. Scrolling aimlessly at altitude? Be my guest.

But calls?!

Calls cross a line. And it’s not a subtle one.

This “Always Available” culture needs to calm down

Here’s the part that really gets me.

This whole thing feeds into the completely unnecessary idea that we must be available at all times, in all places, no matter what.

We don’t. Having a total tech detox on my safari last month was absolutely needed because I was becoming addicted to using my phone and scrolling Instagram aimlessly. We need dis-connectivity in our lives people!

We absolutely do not need to be taking calls while flying across the Atlantic. Or to Singapore. Or Timbuktu. The world will keep spinning. Your inbox will survive. That meeting doesn't need you on it.

And if it won’t wait, and you do need to be on the call? That’s not a you problem, that’s an employer problem.

Let’s call it what it is: if your company expects you to be reachable while you are on a long-haul flight, that is not impressive, it is not high-performance, and it is certainly not aspirational. It is poor management dressed up as urgency. Poor planning by them does not constitute an emergency or a panic on your part.

Switching off is not a luxury. Contrary to Marks and Spencer's boss Stuart Machin who recently said “In leadership, what I don’t like is leaders going away and being completely switched off.” Don't be like Stuart, he is not a good people leader if this is his attitude!

Switching off is totally necessary, burn out is real and it sucks. And flights have always been one of the last built-in opportunities to do exactly that without having to justify yourself.

Why are we so keen to give that up? And why on earth is British Airways encouraging this.

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The social contract of flying (please let’s not ruin this too)

There’s an unspoken agreement when you board a flight: we all behave like reasonable humans because we’re stuck together, whether we like it or not.

You don’t blast music without headphones. So why subject an entire cabin to your one-sided phone conversation.

Because even if you think you’re being quiet, I can assure you, you’re not.

Cabin noise is loud, which makes people speak louder. Sound carries. And suddenly, your entire row, and half the one behind, is unwillingly dialled into your “quick catch-up”.

It’s not fair, and it’s not necessary. I have to deal with "metrics", "numbers", "contracts" and "KPI's" enough in my life. If I am on the way to a holiday destination and I hear those words, I am not responsible for my actions which might involved my nice glass of Merlot and your white business shirt!

Also spare a thought for the crew, because this is unfair on them

Now let’s talk about the bit that really hasn’t been thought through properly: the crew.

Because if (or when) this becomes an issue onboard, who is expected to deal with it? Cabin crew.

The same cabin crew who are already managing full flights, tight service windows, delays, passenger complaints, safety procedures, and everything else that comes with modern flying, which, let’s be honest, already feels stretched.

And now we’re adding… policing phone calls?

Genuinely, who thought that was a good idea? Dial me up brother and let's have a chat ... just don't call me from a plane!

We all know exactly how this plays out. Someone is asked to end a call. They push back.

They say it’s “urgent”. They get defensive. Possibly rude. Suddenly it escalates. And then suddenly someone starts livestreaming it to Instagram, it get's plastered all over social media. All because someone couldn’t wait a few hours to speak to someone.

It’s completely unfair to expect crew to manage that on top of everything else. They can barely get through a full service on a packed flight without being run off their feet, adding another entirely avoidable source of conflict into the mix is, frankly, ridiculous.

This isn’t improving the onboard experience. It’s making their job harder.

Will British Airways actually allow it? Or will they hopefully see sense.

This is the big question.

Just because Starlink can support calls doesn’t mean British Airways should allow them. And they absolutely shouldn’t.

There’s a very clear line between quiet, personal device use and audio that affects everyone around you. One is harmless, and the other is disruptive.

And if British Airways wants to get this right, the answer is simple: Keep the WiFi. Ban the calls.

Final thoughts: not all progress is worth it

Yes, the rollout of Starlink across British Airways’ fleet is a big step forward. Yay.

But this part of it? This feels like a step in completely the wrong direction.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. And turning flights into yet another place where we’re expected to be “on” all the time, talking, working, dialling in, isn’t progress. It’s just exhausting.

Not to mention the disruption it brings to others, especially those travelling for joyous purposes and not business. Don't ruin it for everyone else.

So by all means, enjoy the faster WiFi. Stream, scroll, message, do whatever you like, quietly.

But if you’re about to take a call mid-flight, here’s a thought:

Don’t.

Helena

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