Southwest Airlines removing in-flight telephones

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001 | 11:03 a.m.

Southwest Airlines and AT&T Corp. agreed to pull in-flight telephones from Southwest planes, in part because more passengers are using cellular phones.

The change, which will occur over the next year, will save Southwest money on maintenance and reduce weight, therefore cutting fuel consumption. Besides the phones installed in the seatbacks of Southwest Boeing 737s, the system includes wiring and a control box in the plane's belly.

Southwest -- the largest carrier in Las Vegas -- initially installed the phones in 1992. They'll be removed during regularly scheduled maintenance with no added cost to the airline, a spokeswoman said.

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