A closer look
Aviation regulators weren't originally worried about cell phone signals plunging airplanes into the ocean; they were terrified you'd murder your seatmate. When AeroMobile introduced the first in-flight GSM system in 2008, allowing actual phone calls at 35,000 feet, the pushback was immense. Authorities genuinely feared that being trapped in a metal tube next to a businessman aggressively screaming about quarterly margins would spark violent midair riots. They eventually realized Wi-Fi texting was a much safer way for us to ignore each other.
