Originally Posted by Aviatrix

I can't believe I'm reading this. Is it really such a big deal having to put away one's book for a few minutes? Personally I think it's a very sensible rule, whether mandated by the authorities or not.

What I'm a lot more concerned about (going off the original topic, sorry...) are the many times I see emergency exit rows that are completely empty because no one is prepared to pay for them on a short flight.