Will a major US airline start to allow cell phone usage in flight in 2009?

Oh, dear god, I hope not. Imagine the thrill of sitting next to some obnoxious motormouth bragging to his golf buddy down in Peoria for 1500 miles about the waitress he shtupped the night before. I can hardly wait... ;(

Does it count as yes if they allow limited use of phones, i.e. texting but not calling?

Ryanair - (Europe's 3rd largest airline) will rollout the technology enabling the use of Blackberry’s and mobile phones for text and voice usage on its aircraft during 2009.
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=inf&quest=mobilephones

Ryanair this week began allowing the use of mobile phones for calls during flights;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4732424/Ryanair-mobile-phone-service-Hello-Im-on-the-plane.html

The title of this question is 'a major airline' but the settlement details specify a US airline, which is correct?

Yes, US, but it's coming...

Perhaps they ought to change the question title?

Folks - Listen up...Several airlines already permit WiFi access on planes, and some of them do not filter usage. How long do you think it will be before someone fires up Skype on their laptop in mid-air, and uses a headset or a handset made for VOIP?

Airlines will either deny their use (based on the inconvenience to other passengers), will allow it but not bother with trying to figure out how to make money with cell phones...or, they'll admit that cell phones don't pose a risk in flight (depite what they've been saying), and install cell phone repeaters and charge for use. Of course, if they install the repeaters, they maintain some semblance of control over cell phone transmission - that is, if they cut it off they're more likely to get you to cut off your cell phone in an emergency... rather than, 'please turn off your phones - or else we have to ditch the plane'. You know that even it that situation that one sale rep from Des Moines would stay on the phone until they pried it from his fingers....