It happens on just about every flight. My flight attendants are always getting passengers to turn off personal electronic devices when the door closes. There's always at least one person who keeps talking, texting, tweeting, playing, watching, emailing and listening on headphones— ignoring stern orders to power down. I have never had to remove an "Alec Baldwin" from one of my flights. There have been times when one of my flight attendants asks me to make a PA about turning off devices so that we can push. I have even said on my PA, "We don't want any Alec Baldwins." Peer pressure from other passengers anxious to get to there destinations works wonders.
Many flight attendants say this issue is the No. 1 spark for unruly behavior. So I am writing and including this article to help answer the question I get asked frequently since we have all (including myself) become so attached to these devices. Most people really question whether they need to turn them off at all. I know, I know.........'it's no big deal' or 'the rule doesn't apply to me' If that is your thinking then you are "that guy."
Just remember that Airline rules backed by federal laws allow crews to turn a plane back to the gate and toss passengers off flights to prevent disputes in the air. In most cases, it isn't the initial issue that gets people kicked off planes, whether they've been told to pull up their saggy pants, clean up their language or stop playing "Words With Friends" on their iPhones. Instead, it's the ensuing argument.
The numbers of incidents of customer misconduct have been going up for three years, with most of the increase related to electronic devices, flight attendants say. This attitudes toward electronics can be attributed to "speed limit" psychology—everyone knows there's a speed limit and yet every driver at one time or another will exceed it. Lots of passengers are skeptical of the danger of leaving devices on—one call or text message or game isn't going to bring down the plane, they figure. And who hasn't left on their BlackBerry and lived to tell?
Indeed, there's no firm scientific evidence that having gadgets powered up for takeoff and landing would cause a problem, only that there's the potential for a problem. Federal Aviation Administration allows pilots to use iPads and other electronic devices to replace charts and manuals in the cockpit, powered up during takeoff and landing (unfortunately, not my airline, I still schlep around about fifty pounds of publications everywhere I go). But the FAA says it can't test all the different gadgets passengers may bring on board. The agency worries a multitude of devices could pose more danger than a single iPad for pilots.
Crews have anecdotally reported numerous issues linked to computers or devices on board, such as erroneous warnings on collision-avoidance systems, heavy static on radio frequencies and false readings on instrument landing systems, according to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, a database to which crews submit voluntary incident reports. (I actually have seen caution messages while at the gate that would only happen if the airplane were moving that I suspect is caused by a particular type of phone and service provider). In some instances, crews caught passengers talking on a phone or using a computer when they weren't supposed to. The crews were able to end interference by shutting down the device. Turning it back on recreated the problem, suggesting a possible link. (Even if you are far from the cockpit, you may be sitting near an antenna.) But attempts to duplicate interference with cockpit gear in laboratories failed.
In a study published in 2006, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University
And it involves an often-overlooked safety concern: Passengers must be able to hear flight attendants in an emergency, so no headphones are allowed during takeoff or landing. This is my pet peeve: I know you are a "seasoned" traveler and know how to fasten a seat belt, but I always endeavor to keep my passengers informed, particularly if there are any unusual events or delays. If you are blasting rap music into your eardrums while I provide pertinent information, possibly something that will directly affect you, then you are going to miss it. Sometimes we feel like "Charlie Brown's parents" from the animated cartoon......whaa, waaa, waaa is all you hear. FA's are always asked about things that they have already made a PA about.
"The problem is taking flight attendants away from their jobs, and they have to be ready for an emergency," says FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette.
Cellphones are banned during entire flights—not just during takeoff and landing—because they can interfere with ground-based antenna capacity. Most cell phones' GPS continue to work even in "airplane mode." We rely on GPS to navigate and other, especially numerous or very strong GPS devices and signals WILL interfere with our abilities. The Federal Communications Commission, along with the FAA, bans in-flight use because a phone flying at more than 500 miles per hour, six miles above the ground, connects with lots of cell towers, hogging bandwidth. Connecting at that speed and altitude also takes lots of power from the phone, yielding stronger emissions that could interfere with instruments. (not to mention that your battery will be totally drained by the time you land because your phone has been constantly seeking cell towers).
Flight attendants say one or two people on almost every flight don't seem to think the device ban applies to them.
"There's a lack of awareness of what the rules are, why the rules are there and what the flight attendant's role is," says Veda Shook, an Alaska Airlines flight attendant and president of the Association of Flight Attendants. Airlines train flight attendants in methods to calm confrontations. Airlines also have leeway to judge whether a passenger should be removed and put on another flight. Don't be THAT GUY! Just get in, sit down, strap in and LISTEN. You will be at cruise altitude soon enough and then you can listen, play, watch (but not talk on your cell) all you want.....until we descend, that is.
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