Alec Baldwin apparently kicked off AA flight at LAX
Dec 8, 2011, 10:45 am
#166
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Do you think the TSA is doing a good job? Do you think making air travel less desirable and more stressful is a good thing?
Whether or not AB should have been kicked off for throwing a hissy fit, there are very few people that would say the air travel experience is better today than pre-911. Certainly the airlines and their employees are worse off.
Dec 8, 2011, 10:49 am
#167
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You're looking one step ahead.
Might want to consider 2 steps ahead.
Losing higly sought after PAID F clients is never a good thing. Never. $$ from people like AB make the F experience what it is. You'll be more likely to UG to a place that's not impressive were this to happen more often
Might want to consider 2 steps ahead.
Losing higly sought after PAID F clients is never a good thing. Never. $$ from people like AB make the F experience what it is. You'll be more likely to UG to a place that's not impressive were this to happen more often
Dec 8, 2011, 11:05 am
#168
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I don't post on the nonsense celebrity thread, but as a regular transcon passenger in F and J, I routinely see (and often sit next to) bigshot celebrities.
Those bigshots rarely put away their toys when the door closes and far too often, the FAs have to ask several times. Sometimes, I gently remind the bigshots that the FAs are going to give them difficulty if they don't put away their toys.
Of course, one problem is that too many FAs are impressed by these same people - even posting on other sites about all the different celebs they were honored to serve in F and J. Celeb worship is incompatible with enforcing these rules. These FAs fear massive potential fines if the FAA were to witness them looking the other way.
The FAA rules are, frankly, a little too paternalistic for my tastes, but because I don't care for confrontation with FAs, I turn off my toys and put them away as soon as I see/hear the door closing. When the pilots say "FAs, please prepare for landing," I immediately begin putting away my toys.
These bigshot celebs are used to people looking the other way and don't always understand why the FAs are such hard***** about the rules.
Let A Baldwin leave AA. If the UA or DL FAs are following the rules, he'll find the same 1950s Catholic school gym teachers working the aisles at those airlines. It will be like that until society demands changes to outdated "safety" rules that require FAs to treat adults like children.
Those bigshots rarely put away their toys when the door closes and far too often, the FAs have to ask several times. Sometimes, I gently remind the bigshots that the FAs are going to give them difficulty if they don't put away their toys.
Of course, one problem is that too many FAs are impressed by these same people - even posting on other sites about all the different celebs they were honored to serve in F and J. Celeb worship is incompatible with enforcing these rules. These FAs fear massive potential fines if the FAA were to witness them looking the other way.
The FAA rules are, frankly, a little too paternalistic for my tastes, but because I don't care for confrontation with FAs, I turn off my toys and put them away as soon as I see/hear the door closing. When the pilots say "FAs, please prepare for landing," I immediately begin putting away my toys.
These bigshot celebs are used to people looking the other way and don't always understand why the FAs are such hard***** about the rules.
Let A Baldwin leave AA. If the UA or DL FAs are following the rules, he'll find the same 1950s Catholic school gym teachers working the aisles at those airlines. It will be like that until society demands changes to outdated "safety" rules that require FAs to treat adults like children.
Dec 8, 2011, 11:28 am
#169
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I don't fly AA, but I wanted to read this thread because I figured maybe someone on FlyerTalk was actually on that flight and would have posted exactly what happened. I am sure it's no different on AA than it is on DL, the cell phone rule seems to be inconsistently enforced. I can personally think of nothing more frustrating than that. On a recent flight a lady next to me was calling her ground transportation as we were landing (not to mention with her handbag dog on her lap)--all while a FA looked at her and said nothing from his seat by the cockpit. Some crews are good at keeping it consistent, others seem not to even care if seats are back, people are on their phone, etc. While I am in no way defending Alec Baldwin's actions, it seems likely that he was singled out; which no one wants. Furthermore, for all we know it could have been a FA who isn't a fan of his, and thoroughly enjoyed having some level of authority over him (totally plausible). Was the FA certain that absolutely no one else was on their phones, or had their kindle on?
Dec 8, 2011, 12:50 pm
#170
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Excellent post. Personally, I want the ban on cell phones to stay. Do you really want to sit next to someone on a transcon flight, particularly a red eye, that is screaming into a cell phone the entire flight. Having cell phone use in midair is a nightmare waiting to happen, specifically for the poor FAs that are going to be constantly called to get involved in stopping cell phone abuse.
Believe it or not there was a time there were no cellphones and businesses did not fold, deals got done, and people somehow were able to make it to their final destination after landing. Again, if your job is so important that you no how, no way can be out of touch with your office/employer for a few hours than your company should be providing you private corporate jet travel.
If you can't go three or four hours without calling your Aunt Edna to talk about your golf game or rollercoaster ride at Disney, get a life and buy a laptop/Ipad, sign onto gogo and do something quite inflight.
As far as Baldwin, you can probably see this is an eposide on 30 Rock next season.
Believe it or not there was a time there were no cellphones and businesses did not fold, deals got done, and people somehow were able to make it to their final destination after landing. Again, if your job is so important that you no how, no way can be out of touch with your office/employer for a few hours than your company should be providing you private corporate jet travel.
If you can't go three or four hours without calling your Aunt Edna to talk about your golf game or rollercoaster ride at Disney, get a life and buy a laptop/Ipad, sign onto gogo and do something quite inflight.
As far as Baldwin, you can probably see this is an eposide on 30 Rock next season.
Yes, George! You are so right. Cell phones do not need to be used on planes during a flight. Even the Long Island Rail Road started this week to have quiet cars on its trains to NYC because people were not able to put down their phones for even a few moments.
Dec 8, 2011, 2:06 pm
#171
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http://gothamist.com/2011/12/06/alec...t_been_kic.php
Baldwin, tweeting away "Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt"
Also tweeting #Theresalwaysunited
Good for AA to enforce the cell phone rule. This moron doesn't get an exception because he's a "celebrity."^
Baldwin, tweeting away "Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt"
Also tweeting #Theresalwaysunited
Good for AA to enforce the cell phone rule. This moron doesn't get an exception because he's a "celebrity."^
Dec 8, 2011, 2:41 pm
#172
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has NEVER worked.
Dec 8, 2011, 2:49 pm
#173
Join Date: Dec 2008
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http://gothamist.com/2011/12/06/alec...t_been_kic.php
Baldwin, tweeting away "Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt"
Also tweeting #Theresalwaysunited
Good for AA to enforce the cell phone rule. This moron doesn't get an exception because he's a "celebrity."^
Baldwin, tweeting away "Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt"
Also tweeting #Theresalwaysunited
Good for AA to enforce the cell phone rule. This moron doesn't get an exception because he's a "celebrity."^
Dec 8, 2011, 4:41 pm
#174
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I don't post on the nonsense celebrity thread, but as a regular transcon passenger in F and J, I routinely see (and often sit next to) bigshot celebrities.
Those bigshots rarely put away their toys when the door closes and far too often, the FAs have to ask several times. Sometimes, I gently remind the bigshots that the FAs are going to give them difficulty if they don't put away their toys.
Of course, one problem is that too many FAs are impressed by these same people - even posting on other sites about all the different celebs they were honored to serve in F and J. Celeb worship is incompatible with enforcing these rules. These FAs fear massive potential fines if the FAA were to witness them looking the other way.
Those bigshots rarely put away their toys when the door closes and far too often, the FAs have to ask several times. Sometimes, I gently remind the bigshots that the FAs are going to give them difficulty if they don't put away their toys.
Of course, one problem is that too many FAs are impressed by these same people - even posting on other sites about all the different celebs they were honored to serve in F and J. Celeb worship is incompatible with enforcing these rules. These FAs fear massive potential fines if the FAA were to witness them looking the other way.
Another point: it's really not worth an FA losing a job over celebrity worship. Sorry, I'm not willing to lose my job over my celebrity infatuation with anyone (though I'm not an FA, I do interact with celebrities in my work). It would make it a difficult line to walk, though, especially face-to-face in a confined space.
Dec 8, 2011, 6:03 pm
#175
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Dec 8, 2011, 6:10 pm
#176
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Dec 8, 2011, 6:24 pm
#177
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I don't fly AA, but I wanted to read this thread because I figured maybe someone on FlyerTalk was actually on that flight and would have posted exactly what happened. I am sure it's no different on AA than it is on DL, the cell phone rule seems to be inconsistently enforced. I can personally think of nothing more frustrating than that. On a recent flight a lady next to me was calling her ground transportation as we were landing (not to mention with her handbag dog on her lap)--all while a FA looked at her and said nothing from his seat by the cockpit. Some crews are good at keeping it consistent, others seem not to even care if seats are back, people are on their phone, etc. While I am in no way defending Alec Baldwin's actions, it seems likely that he was singled out; which no one wants. Furthermore, for all we know it could have been a FA who isn't a fan of his, and thoroughly enjoyed having some level of authority over him (totally plausible). Was the FA certain that absolutely no one else was on their phones, or had their kindle on?
Dec 8, 2011, 8:56 pm
#178
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Excellent post. Personally, I want the ban on cell phones to stay. Do you really want to sit next to someone on a transcon flight, particularly a red eye, that is screaming into a cell phone the entire flight. Having cell phone use in midair is a nightmare waiting to happen, specifically for the poor FAs that are going to be constantly called to get involved in stopping cell phone abuse.
At present we're being given a blanket order to shut down all electronics before departure from the gate as well as prior to landing, and yet many people have demonstrated - either by innocently forgetting to turn off their phones before they got on the plane or blatantly ignoring the request - that the airplane didn't appear to be endangered in any way. Indeed, I have, on numerous occasions, forgotten to turn off my cell phone before I even got on the plane and not once has there ever been an announcement from the flight deck that the crew was detecting electronic interference from a source that may or may not have emanated from the passenger cabin.
Most intelligent people are more likely to support and consistently comply with a rule or restriction if they understand it. Simply telling reasonably intelligent people that they have to do something just "because it's the law" is, over time, insufficient when a regularly demonstrated failure to follow that law does not result in any of the dangers that are being inferred as a result of not following it.
So, if Alec Baldwin wants to publicly lead the charge to discuss this FAA edict and force the FAA to better explain its reasoning, he'll have my complete support.
As it is, the best reason I've heard for temporarily removing the distraction of cell phones, games and music players before take off and prior to landing is that more commercial airplane accidents have happened during take off or landing than ever have in the air. So - if ever there were a time to be completely alert to and aware of your surroundings, take off and landing is that time.
Last edited by Seat 2A; Dec 8, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Dec 8, 2011, 9:08 pm
#179
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I don't have a lot of sympathy for Mr Big Shot. I comply with FA instructions without throwing a hissy fit, and I think that Mr Big Shot can do the same.
Dec 8, 2011, 10:06 pm
#180
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...many people have demonstrated - either by innocently forgetting to turn off their phones before they got on the plane or blatantly ignoring the request - that the airplane didn't appear to be endangered in any way. Indeed, I have, on numerous occasions, forgotten to turn off my cell phone before I even got on the plane and not once has there ever been an announcement from the flight deck that the crew was detecting electronic interference from a source that may or may not have emanated from the passenger cabin.
