Cell Phone Jetiquette

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I flew this week to Las Vegas to check out the new Four Seasons hotel and to be a guest at Bon Appetit magazine's wine and food event. Will this hell I call a job NEVER end?

Anyway, I had to connect each way, which meant four separate boarding experiences. And at each one, in DC, Chicago, Dallas, and Vegas, I noticed the beginning of a new subculture of travelers: The frantic cell guys. You find them huddled on jetways, standing just outside the entrance to planes, trying to talk on their little phones right up until a flight attendant reaches to close the aircraft doorway. I confess that at least in Dallas, I was one of those guys. Some airlines now allow cell phones to be used inside the plane until the doors are closed. But until everyone permits that, let's talk jetiquette. If you're a frantic cell guy, make sure you get out of the way. Don't set your carry on luggage right by the door while you schmooze. If you're seated far back in coach, don't wait 'til the last second to board. And, finally, if you're a frantic cell guy, try to keep your voice down. You're not a master of the universe because you have a cell phone . . . everyone has one these days. Besides, there's always someone doing a bigger deal than you are.