With nearly four million air miles in the last 10 years, I often joke that I “live in the sky”. The impact of allowing cell phone usage during flights is significant to me. This could either be an opportunity or a disaster. I think it is an opportunity for all of us and we can have our cake and eat it too. I found readily available technology to accommodate both interests: those who want to make calls, and those who do not want to be forced to listen to them. For peace and quiet: Slip on a pair of QuietComfortｮ 2 headphones – you will neutralize not only the talking around you but the ambient airplane motor noise. You can also plug them in to the aircraft’s system (domestically and internationally with adaptors provided) and hear the plane’s entertainment system or your iPodｮ, or leave them unplugged, and hear pretty-well nothing — at least nothing very loud — almost silence. For a quiet distraction-free conversation: Not only does this Boom Quietｮ have incredibly effective noise-canceling earphones, but the microphone is awesome – you can whisper no matter how loud the noise around you is and you will be heard, clearly. This is very important because you can speak quietly enough to be discrete and still be heard. You can visit their web site and hear a demonstration of these being used on a Blackhawk helicopter (click the sound icon near the center of the page–under the lady with the coffee). For people like me – owners of talkative birds: I have both headsets and love them. I never travel without my Boseｮ earphones and Quiet Boomｮ headset is a life saver when our two cockatoos are noisy during a client call. (They roam freely outside our house in Anguilla) Food for Thought: While others whine about in-flight cell phone use, let’s exploit the opportunity for competitive advantage by being more responsive to our clients. And if we want the solitude, maybe a chance to catch up on reading… or just watch the in-flight movie, there is a solution for that too. I just wish the Quiet Boomｮ had an adaptor so we could use the device for both purposes (and we wouldn’t have two things to carry). Note #1: I have no relationship with either company and would not accept any consideration from either (not that they are likely to offer any), and Note #2: Thank you to Tom Peters who brought this subject to mind in his TP Wire Service reference to the subject today.