Originally Posted by
dh01
The cell phone issue is pretty ridiculous. If it is safe for passengers to use their cell phones while taxiing IN to the gate, logic says that it must be equally safe to use them taxiing AWAY from the gate. The FA turned the cell phone off as the plane made the final turn for takeoff, because THAT is the point where cell phones should actually be off.
I have actually wondered this myself, so I asked a pilot the very same question. His response was that the reason you can talk on your cell phones once the plane has landed is because they use different instruments for this phase of flight than for taxiing before takeoff. Cell phones may disrupt the instruments needed for taxiing before takeoff. Hope that answers your question.