Kudos to Continental’s (CAL:NYSE) CEO Larry Kellner, who told an attendee in response to a question at the International Trade Summit and Expo 2006 Monday that he is against the use of personal cellular telephones on aircraft while in-flight.

Kellner didn’t see a need to ban brief calls in flight, but he favors Internet access as well as text-messaging on cell phones or BlackBerries. He also said that Continental hopes to make broadband Internet access available to passengers by 2008. But that VOIP usage would not be included.

This topic is back in the news because of Emirates’ announcement last week that it plans to bring onboard cell phone access to its flights beginning in January.

Emirates said last week that it hopes that passengers would “respect the privacy of those around them” when using their phones, but just how this is going to be accomplished is certainly a mystery to me.

I guess flight attendants will now be expected to act as “cell phone cops” for the entire flight?