Originally Posted by
GoAmtrak
Well, I wouldn't want to get smacked by any of the above. Out of an abundance of caution, I personally stow all reading material for take-off and landing and would not mind one bit if that was a rule, too. I know that's an unpopular position, but I don't like the idea of objects that are distracting and/or physically loose in the cabin during those times. We're talking a minute or so total here.
Plus the five minutes it takes for the flight attendants to inspect the cabin to make sure everyone stowed everything away when the pilot asked.
Plus the extra five minutes imposed when the pilot initiates the request to put everything away a little early, just "out of an abundance of caution", so that everything is done well ahead of time.
Plus the extra 10-15 minutes imposed when, at the last moment, the aircraft is placed into a holding pattern, or switches runways, or whatever.
Don't get me wrong;
if there's really a safety issue here (and I'm undecided as to whether there is or not), I don't mind being asked to put my book away. But let's be clear: we're not talking about "a minute", but many minutes.