Wireless mouse not permitted in flight?
 

FA in international J insisted that a passenger discontinue usage of a wireless mouse during my flight yesterday. She cited the fact that it 'transmits and receives' and interferes with cockpit flight controls. She told the passenger to refer to the back of American Way. She then brought a second FA who verified her claims, and later brought over the purser who similarly agreed. She came back a third time and showed him something on her handheld. She was apologetic but firm on the policy the whole time. The passenger seemed to have accepted her rules and didn't really argue; yet the FA went above and beyond to justify her request.

Is this an actual AA policy or a misinterpretation of the rules?

Bluetooth devices or any device that sends a signal are not allowed to be used in flight in the US. It is listed in the magazine for every airline in back where they go over electronic devices.

FAs tell me that airplanes fall from the sky all of the time as a result cell phones which are left on during flight.. and near misses are largely a result of wireless headsets and mice.

Every FA is mandated to attend electronic interference school (EIS) at both boeing and airbus facilities before getting their EIS Certification.

I also heard that the wings can fall off if you flush a paper towel in the lav.

Please be very careful.

In the UA thread, their policy was supposedly changed in 2015 to allow Bluetooth/wireless mice.

There is no actual mention of "Bluetooth" or mouse in the American Way (attached).

Bluetooth devices are most certainly allowed, otherwise every flight would have violators. Just think of all the bluetooth Fitbits/Watches...all the wireless headphones.

Just because a lot of people break a rule with impunity doesn't mean that they're not breaking the rule.

Hmmm... and those Wi-Fi / Internet enabled planes. Makes me wonder :p

Wifi is disabled below 10K feet. Bluetooth has limited range and is unlikely to interfere with aircraft systems. But is it really worth it to get into an electrical engineering argument with an FA over your mouse? I guess my attitude is that life is too short to get overly invested in "winning" these debates and that one should just move on.

FAA clearly allows Bluetooth: https://www.faa.gov/news/press_relea...m?newsId=15254

Guess AA didn't get the memo. That said, I use BT headphones all the time on flights and nobody ever says anything.

So how is Bose still selling QC35s in that case?

I've been told multiple times, across airlines, to put my wireless mouse away. I just gave up and now use a wired mouse on flights....

Do y'all not have a mouse built in to your computers? Where are you getting these things?

That's the rules for AA. If you want the rules to change, sent AA some data to suggest they do so. A juvenile post on FT won't do it.

I've never seen a laptop with a built-in mouse. They typically come with trackpads, but some people prefer an external, hand held mouse.

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http://www.ericwrobbel.com/collectio...uters-hp-b.jpg

:D