A courtesy telephone is a

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

located in

airport terminal An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from an Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft. Within the terminal, passengers purchase ...

s, large train stations, hotel lobbies, and other places where many travellers are expected, which is used to relay messages to a specific person. It is typically used in connection with a public address system announcement of the style "Gwen Cooper, please pick up the nearest white courtesy telephone." Courtesy telephones may have a distinctive color, which is traditionally white in US airports, and most have no dialing capabilities but rather are simple

ringdown In telephony, ringdown is a method of signaling an operator in which telephone ringing current is sent over the line to operate a lamp or cause the operation of a self-locking relay known as a ''drop''. Ringdown is used in manual operation, an ...

stations to reach an operator or other fixed number. Some double as

emergency telephone An emergency telephone is a telephone, phone specifically provided for making calls to emergency services and is most often found in a place of special danger or where it is likely that there will be a need to make emergency calls. It is also so ...

s, having buttons by which a user can distinguish between emergency use and inquiry. Customers can use a courtesy phone to seek information, such as where to find further transport or a person trying to meet them. Some courtesy phones provide a direct line to a number of advertised businesses, such as motels or taxis. They may be located near baggage claim, ticketing areas, and security checkpoints.Ngcobo, Sipho "Airport approves advertising contract"
''The Times-News'', (March 20, 1990), page 3. Retrieved July 9, 2011 Other telephones in public or semi-public places which may be used to make outside calls are also sometimes called "courtesy telephones".

In popular culture

Courtesy telephones are featured prominently as a running gag in the cult comedy film ''

Airplane! ''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American parody film written and directed by the brothers David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams in their directorial debuts, and produced by Jon Davison. It stars Robert Hay ...

''. The songs "Sharkey's Day" and "Sharkey's Night" from Laurie Anderson's 1984 album ''

Mister Heartbreak ''Mister Heartbreak'' is the second studio album by avant-garde artist, singer and composer Laurie Anderson, released on February 14, 1984. Like its predecessor, it contains reworked elements of Anderson's ''United States'' ("Langue d'Amour", "Ko ...

'' include the line: "Paging Mr. Sharkey. White courtesy telephone please."

References

Notes Public phones {{telephony-stub

In popular culture

See also

References