I’ll give you the beginning of the story. You’ll guess where it’s going.
I am an iPhone owner, and this is my story. I recently was traveling to Hawaii on ATA airlines and took my iPhone along for the trip. During the first 2 hours of my 5 hour flight I was listening to music using the ipod function of my iPhone.
The iPhone was sitting on my tray table in front of my seat, in plain sight. Then I decided to watch a movie. So I fired up the classic “I know what you did last summer”, a movie I had never seen before. About 1 and a half hours into this cinematic masterpiece I had a flight attendant try to get my attention.
I paused the movie just as Jennifer love Hewitt was screaming something about “please stop killing my friends” or “what do you want from me”, honestly I am not sure what she was saying because I paused the movie and looked to see what the flight attendant wanted. He said something to the effect of “you can’t use a cell phone in flight”. OK, that makes sense, so I assured him that I had the phone in airplane mode and that all cell, wifi and bluetooth was off.
He again said “you have to stop using it” and walked on…
There are more smart and not-so-smart cellphones with this capability showing up in the marketplace. Will airlines take the time to update the brains of their staff or just return to banning everything – as simpler and easier – for them?
I side with the airline on this one but for a different reason:
That movie IS highly inappropriate.
For me, slasher films are every bit as obscene as pornography and shouldn’t be watched on an airplane.
When you read the whole article, the guys comes comes across as a boarish pain-in-the ass which are far too common on airplanes, which of course shouldn’t be illegal but makes it hard to sympathize with him.
That being said, the guy has a point.
The safest thing is to ban passengers on airplanes.
The next safest is to strip us all naked and seal each of us into am isolation pod for the duration of the flight.
I was on a flight recently, and the attendants said that the transmit had to be turned off. So I think most are getting it.
I first thought this was an update on the woman killed by TSA. There’s an article I read that explained this was US Air overbooking flights, and this woman couldn’t get a seat even though she had a ticket.
I am sooooooo glad I don’t travel anymore. I think I would rather have elective surgery than board an aircraft.
Improbus
Are you serious? You don’t travel anymore?
I LOVE seeing the world — it’s the trip I hate.
Not just the flight but I am so tired of airports with all the nonsense that goes on three. But, still, I enjoy the world too much to give up flying.
I visited Hong Kong with my family this spring. We loved the city.
Always assume that when you’re on any airpain you’ll certainly be dealing with iDIOTS.
While the Flight Attendant is clearly wrong in this case she/he is a crew member and according to FAA regulations you do have to follow those instructions.
Had the FA said to the police that she/he wasn’t sure that the iPhone was safe in-flight and that they made their decision based on that the iPhone owner probably would have been arrested.
That said, the airline in question really needs to work on their crew training.
I suspect they’ll take it a step further, ban everything electronic, and insist you put it all in checked luggage.
Easier for the TSA, easier for the staff on the airplane, boring and annoying for the passengers.
Win-win-win for all the people in charge!
“That said, the airline in question really needs to work on their crew training.”
No, not really. The airlines need to figure out which of there outmoded aircraft have instruments that can be affected (and it’s damned few) and stop pestering people on the other flights. THEN, they need to add the appropriate shielding on the few planes that are affected. How many people just put their phones int heir pockets and never turn them off? If they are going to do business in this new age of electronics, they need to get off their asses and make the necessary adjustments.
One time I was bad-mouthing a phone rep while she was doing some research on her pc and while I had her on “mute” mode on my phone. When she got back on the phone she was cordial but advised me to get the “mute” switch fixed.
Technology is not 100%. Add in human error and forgetfullness and you get violations.
111111111111111111111101111111111111111111111111111.
zeroes happen.
Do cell phones really interfere with the navigational equipment on airplanes, and if so, what, and how? I never turn my phone off (just because the first thing I do when I get to the airport is shove it in my bag and I never remember to turn it off until I get on the plane, but my bag is put away … and well, I am just a bit lazy really). Have I been courting with death?
>>Do cell phones really interfere with the navigational equipment
>>on airplanes, and if so, what, and how? I never turn my phone
>>off
Good question. And one I have never gotten a coherent answer to. I always just stick my cell phone in the bag without turning it off too, and no plane I’ve been on has ever crashed.
Perhaps Mr. Ray could clarify? He seems to have a good store of in-flight knowledge.
what the FAA needs to do is hire the security companies that manage casinos — they are THE cutting edge in blanket security coverage for high-traffic areas, where freedom of movement for the masses is key, and they have the most thorough system of employee protocol, hierarchical problem-solution management and clear-cut relationships with law enforcement out there today.
why tsa can’t get a few guys from harrah’s to give them some pointers is beyond me
I agree that it is silly since so many people travel with their phones on, they just don’t use it. But this author is a self-important douche bag for thinking he has a right to insult flight attendants that are doing nothing but their job enforcing company policies.
Besides, why are you telling that to us readers anyway? If YOU took any time to update YOUR brains, you’d be writing about this to the airline companies, not us.
I just flew from Boise to San Jose yesterday, and the FA on the aircraft seemed to know perfectly well what airplane mode is, as she mentioned it in her very amusing passenger briefing.
If this becomes common, I forsee problems with my iPod Touch. ….
This loosely reminds me of how many math departments at several universities outlaw graphing calculators on tests because SOME (not all graphing calculators) can do integrals / derivatives. You are only allowed to use standard scientific calculators.
So in this particular case, I’d say suck it up or go buy an iPod Touch. If you have an ignorant Flight Attendant, then oh well. Paying to fly on someone’s airplane does not give you the right to do whatever you want during the flight.
I agree with #10’s comment.
I will have to say that the iPhone and a lot of newer phones on the market do indeed have this “offline” mode specifically built for airplanes, but there is no guarantee that each individual is using it. This has caused some concern by many for this reason. I first saw this from Nokia and was advertised as being able to use its functions while travelling.
Even though the airline attendant didn’t know about this technology, I would have to say just to turn it off and be happy with whatever other entertainment you have. I see your point, but in the end, the airlines make the rules and if one has any complaints with this, the author should have saved them until after the flight instead of enraging a few people and almost getting arrested. Until we educate everyone and be sure that we are all following the rules, we will have to do this.
Just turn the thing off. Is it worth it really? People who think they have the right to act like a child while on a governed airplane get put into check. Just because the person in charge of you during the flight is not as technically savy as you are that does not give you the right to do what you want even if you know you are correct. That type of behavior easily gets you arrested. The flight attendant could have changed his story a bit and then where would the author be?
To set matters straight, the FAA does not in fact ban the use of cell phones in flight. This is an FCC rule, so it has nothing to do with safety in flight. I think it is because wirless carriers wouldn’t be able to bill for the air time or there would be hand-off problems with multiple cell stations locked on to the phone….
Pedro, I didn’t say you could start posting again. [comment deleted]
#12, Mr. Mustard, the FAA won’t even let me take a powered-on cell phone on any aircraft, whether it’s a wood and fabric aerobat or a Beech King Air. But I’ve run tens if not hundreds of experiments with cell phones, hand-held games, DVD players, iPods, etc. and not once was there any interference with comm or nav functions. Mind you, this wasn’t sitting 100 ft. from the flight deck, I’m on the flight deck. All experiments were with King or Collins radios / instruments / displays.
I remember a Mythbusters episode about this question, and only ancient cell phones (which aren’t in use anymore) had any effect on nav/comm.
#21, David Block, you might find these of interest:
FAA Seconds FCC On Grounding In-Flight Mobile Phone Calls
http://tinyurl.com/2h23dc
http://techdirt.com/articles/20071007/225436.shtml
These days on airplanes with everyone so worked up over terrorism you just say OK and do whatever the flight attendant asks. No matter how stupid it seems to you.
He was was just acting like an asshole.
Frankly the new phones should have another mode where they can be turned off by an outsider. So an airplane instead of instructing passengers will just issue a no transmit order, and a movie theater or opera house can issue a no-ring order.
[Duplicate post. – ed.]
On a recent flight my traveling companion forgot to turn her cell phone off. A couple posters on this message board admitted they forgot to turn off their cell phones. It’s really easy to forget your cell phone is turned on.
I’ll bet a million dollars that dozens of passengers on every airline flight forget to turn off their cell phones. If cell phones actually caused problems with navigation or anything else I am sure there would be some evidence ot it by now.
So why is there still a rule requiring cell phones be turned off?
They had my son turn off his GAMEBOY during landing procedures.
// pedro fanboy //
I’d just tell them “this is not a cell phone – it’s a movie player, so STFU”
#26 – These days on airplanes with everyone so worked up over terrorism you just say OK and do whatever the flight attendant asks. No matter how stupid it seems to you.
No no no no no and NO!
No people! Come on! Christ on a freaking pony. NO!
ESPECIALLY with all these sheep freaked out over terrorism, it is essential that those few of us left who understand how to think critically set the example and not bow down before unreasonable and Draconian rules and the petty tyrants that enforce them.
This is civilian air travel. It’s a bus with wings and waitresses. We pay to ride this bus and we put up with X amount of hassle, but X + 1 is just 1 more than I’m willing to take.
Look… the guy was watching a movie, I assume with headphones, on a device the size of a postage stamp… so there is no way he was hurting anyone else, and when the FA decided that his authority with more important than his customer service, the customer was perfectly in the right to push back… and since he doesn’t have my anger management issues, the FA managed to escape unscathed.
If other passengers were inconvenienced while cops were getting involved then that’s on the airline. Right is right and wrong is wrong and it doesn’t matter who gets upset about it… its all worth fighting for.
We take enough of this security bullshit.
This life isn’t worth living with freedom and ease of mobility… and since security is an illusion anyway, lets dispense with it… If Saudi Arabian Nationals with ties to the Bush Family hijacked 4 planes annually and managed to hit three buildings and a farm each time, we would still be safer to fly than to drive, use swimming pools, or eat at Chinese buffets.
If given the choice between safe and free, I’ll take free… and if that ruffles some of you lockstepping little authority worshiping spineless pussies, my advice is… be more careful.
I’ll still always do what I always do… I will pick and choose the rules I follow. Not because I’m special or more important than anyone else. But simply because I think for myself and I didn’t agree to your bullshit in the first damn place. I advise all of you to pick and choose to. A little chaos never hurt any society… and it would really help this one a lot.