He shielded his phone with his hand and hunched his body towards the wall, but I could still hear him. "Have you booked the accommodation?" he demanded.
Now, I don't usually earwig on people's phone calls. But I was on a plane, and this chap in the seat next me had dialled up his pal on his mobile. As we were literally speeding down the runway.
I couldn't believe it. I mean I've seen some bizarre things on planes, but I was open-mouthed at this.
Then, later, on my connecting flight, a couple in the exit row were making a racket audible to the whole plane. "Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping."
They had no shame about the rolling texts. Despite the fact the wheels of the plane were about to lift off.
In fact, phone use on flights is so common now that airlines and lawmakers are cracking down.
As more airlines roll out Wi-Fi and open up mobile use in the sky, I fear we're heading for a showdown.
We have enough to contend with on a plane without adding phones to the mix. People seem to have completely done away with any regard to the rules.
Thankfully, strict new laws around phone use are now on the table to combat everything from making phone calls to not using headphones.
Sarah says she's sick of people on phones on planes
The crackdown has already started in the USA, with the debate going all the way to the top after being in the works for a few years.
A bill introduced by lawmakers in the House of Representatives would make taking phone or video calls from the air illegal, Business Insider reported.
The Quiet Skies Act is a rare bipartisan move that would "finalise a ban on in-flight calls on commercial planes".
Flight attendants say it's not just bad etiquette – it's about safety.
"We're shoved into a tin can, and we're hurdling through the sky at 38,000 feet. It's not a normal situation to be in," Ally Murphy, former flight attendant and cabin service supervisor at Virgin Atlantic, told the website.
"If you're shoulder-to-shoulder with somebody and having to speak loudly, you're really disrupting the other passengers around you."
And it's something Aussie airlines are starting to tackle too, at least in the written rules.
You can pay for Wi-Fi on some Jetstar flights. But the airline says online voice and video calls are blocked.
It's free on some Qantas flights, but the airline's website notes "voice and video calls aren't permitted".
Virgin Australia also sells Wi-Fi passes but warns online: "Please refrain from using voice services and video conferencing as a courtesy to other guests on-board."
It's not just people making phone calls in the firing line either. Headphone use is also something airlines are cracking down on.
In fact, United Airlines has officially updated its Contract of Carriage policy to include the right to refuse service to guests "who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content".
Those who fail to follow the rule "on a permanent or temporary basis" will be removed from the plane at any point, the new section reads.
Why do we need flight mode on planes?
Phone use could be an issue for the cockpit.
An airline pilot has also revealed why passengers must put their phones on airplane mode when flying.
"It does have the potential to mess with the headsets," he said.
"If you have an aircraft with 79, 80, 150 people on board, and even three or four people's phones start to try and make a connection to a radio tower for an incoming phone call, it sends out radio waves.
"There's a potential that those radio waves can interfere with the radio waves of the headset that the pilots are using."
