All of my wx alerts are set to silent (i.e. Even vibrate is annoying). I check messages at least once an hour when I'm awake. I do keep my ringer on vibrate though because if someone actually bothers to call me, it might be time sensitive.

Let's work on the watching movies without headphones problem first, then move on to ringtones. Incremental improvements.

But this is an argument for flying over the train.

Might not be on topic but you got me started.

Back when phone makers included 3.5mm headphone jacks, it was a reasonable expectation for people to carry them along. I even nicked a dozen pairs of JAL dom Y headphones during my JGC修行 to hand out on HK buses.

Nowadays with the "brave" (greedy) abolition of headphone jacks by phone makers, all I can do is put carry around my noise cancelling set and put them on.

Wait, I thought you can get WiFi on the plane these days, no?

You forgot to mention crowding. Try taking the Guangzhou subway during rush hour...

​​​​​​there is another thread here on ground transportation.

yeah but Wi-Fi-equipped flights generally have a rule somewhere specifically stating something about noise - no voice calls, at the very least
(whether such a rule is followed is a different consideration that I am not commenting on here)

I've never seen that rule in print or heard it from cabin crews, but I haven't witnessed many WeChat calls from airplanes...maybe in part because the bandwidth is often limited. I listen in on conference calls (with earphones) sometimes; the quality is usually (just) okay. I imagine an actual voice conversation would be frustrating.

Depends what ports Wechat uses. JAL blocks those used by Skype call https://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/servi.../qa/index.html

Not an issue for those of us in China because we all have VPNs :)

A few years ago I was talking on wechat over wifi on a transpacific Delta flight. Was told by crew that's a no-no.

Next time, maybe try to cover your mouth as you're on the phone and talk when there's no flight attendant nearby.

I was complained about by a local passenger for trying to call CX call centre in the aisle even after doors open on a JAL domestic flight (they didn't know I was doing a Hail Mary on my next connection).

I wouldn't dream of calling in-flight. However, they block Youtube on the same ports as well (half the time, inconsistent settings between equipment).

Or you could just not make calls on the plane and avoid bothering everyone around you.

You remind me of a tpac flight I took out of Beijing about 10 years ago. I had a GPS unit on me and the guy sitting next to me asked me what it was. The plane was just leaving the terminal and getting in line for take-off. I explained to him what it was, but either the guy didn't believe me or thought something was wrong because he called the flight attendant and complain. She kindly asked me to put it away. Since I was still in China, I decided it wasn't worth putting up a fight.