Man Fined £1,000 After Refusing to Place Phone in Airplane Mode

MILAN, ITALY - JUNE 20: A FlyBe airplane is shown after landing at Malpensa airport on June 20, 2013 in Milan, Italy. Malpensa is one of the main international European airports, with almost 20 milion passengers per year passing through. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

A passenger has been issued a fine of over £1,000 to a passenger after he disobeyed the safety rules this past December, the Daily Mail reports. British airline Flybe says that Aaron McWilliams, 32, from St Kew Highway, Cornwall, failed to comply with the order to turn his cell phone off, or at least switch it to flight mode, before take-off.

McWilliams was flying from Amsterdam to Exeter when the Flybe crew demonstrated safety procedures, including the rule that states you should turn your electronic devices off. Witnesses say that he refused to do so and behaved in a threatening manner towards a female crew member. He was fined £500 for not following the captain’s orders and another £500 for his threatening behavior. McAdams has admitted to the charges filed against him and will have to pay a total of £1,135 with costs.

A spokesperson for Flybe said that the airline “has a zero-tolerance attitude towards any disruptive behaviour that has the potential to jeopardise the safety of its passengers and crew.” U.K. Aviation Authority rules state that electronic devices may be used during a flight as long as they are in airplane mode.

Although there is no evidence that the use of electronic devices has caused a plane to crash or malfunction, their use can interfere with radio communications and cause an unpleasant sound for pilots and the air traffic controllers.

[Photo: Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images]