I asked a passenger to put away his laptop
Feb 12, 2019, 6:43 am
#46
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: MCO (Formerly LAX)
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 310
Choose your battles in life. This was not a battle worth pursuing, or posting about.
Feb 12, 2019, 6:47 am
#47
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta DM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HHonrs Diamond
Posts: 1,336
If the rules are stupid, then write DL and the FAA and petition to update them. Point out how an airplane where everyone is holding a laptop at takeoff is just as safe in an emergency as one where they are not.
Otherwise, just follow them. You are not in the backseat of your car. You renting a tiny space among 100-200 other people inside a vehicle moving 8-10x faster
Otherwise, just follow them. You are not in the backseat of your car. You renting a tiny space among 100-200 other people inside a vehicle moving 8-10x faster
Feb 12, 2019, 6:55 am
#48
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 863
If a laptop or tablet is under two pounds there is no requirement for it to be stowed. Many laptops are under the weight limit.
Feb 12, 2019, 7:24 am
#49
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 770
I would've definitely hit the call button. Very shocked no FA noticed this during their final checks. I might be a bit biased as I am an airline Captain myself, but that object can very easily be turned into a projectile in the event of an emergency. On a very recent flight I hit "severe" turbulence for the first time in my flying career. It's no joke. If that were to be encountered on departure, windshear, or even an emergency causing or requiring non-standard maneuvers the effects could be detrimental. Sure the odds are low, but it's best to be prepared for anything.
in all seriousness this is an outdated rule. i have a dell xps 13 that weighs the same as many tablets. the fact that a tablet is ok but my laptop isn't doesnt make a lot of sense. i do put it up because i dont like breaking rules, but just because something is the rule doesn't make it right
Feb 12, 2019, 7:34 am
#50
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
Feb 12, 2019, 8:08 am
#51
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ATL
Programs: DL PM 2 Mil Miler, HZ PC, Marriott LT TI, AMB, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 556
IMO you did the right thing. If it was a regular row I don't think I would care, but since it was the exit row I would care. Like others have said you should let the FA take care of it not you.
Feb 12, 2019, 8:12 am
#52
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Platinum, etc etc etc
Posts: 2,341
Just got off of 2686 from PHL-DTW, 717, sitting in the exit row 17A. Person in 17B was already in seat when I boarded, I'm Silver. Taxied out, the whole time he was working on his laptop, opened up, on his lap.
As we turn onto the runway, he is still working away on his laptop. I said, "we are on the runway now, could you please put that away?" He said, "They didn't make an announcement to put it away." I said it's the rules and it's common sense. Then he closed it and left it on his lap. I asked him to put it away, he said he'll leave it on his lap. I said I don't want it go flying if anything happens. He left it on his lap and I gave up.
Did I go overboard on this? We ended up 45 minutes late, if he had a connection, I hope he missed it.
As we turn onto the runway, he is still working away on his laptop. I said, "we are on the runway now, could you please put that away?" He said, "They didn't make an announcement to put it away." I said it's the rules and it's common sense. Then he closed it and left it on his lap. I asked him to put it away, he said he'll leave it on his lap. I said I don't want it go flying if anything happens. He left it on his lap and I gave up.
Did I go overboard on this? We ended up 45 minutes late, if he had a connection, I hope he missed it.
Honestly whether you agree or disagree with the person using their laptop these types of confrontations are how these air rage videos make it to CNN/Fox News/Abc News etc....
Is it annoying that somebody is doing this? Sure, but I have a busy life already I dont need to go around policing the people around me.
This reminds me of an old episode of King of the Hill when Hank becomes the police of the exit row on a plane.
Feb 12, 2019, 8:55 am
#53
Join Date: Sep 2012
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 126
You sound like someone who worries about the wrong things and accomplished nothing. This whole story is a great example of that.
You were concerned about the laptop and wasted energy trying to order the guy to put it away, but the flight took off and landed successfully so the risk you were trying to manage never manifested. Further he didn’t put the laptop away, so what did you accomplish? You should have either ignored it or asked to be seated elsewhere. The latter would have accomplished something.
Your logic is faulty. The risk existed even though a problem didn't manifest itself, one could argue that they simply got lucky.
That said, the truth is that the odds of a problem arising on TO that would impact anyone other than the person with the laptop are pretty slim. Most likely issue would be an aborted TO with hard braking, in which case the most likely result would be the laptop flying into the seat in front of the guy and/or dropping to the floor. I don't believe there's another likely emergency scenario on TO. In flight, turbulence could send the computer flying into the air and crack someone in the head, but there're no rules covering that. On landing again the most likely scenario is something (hard braking, collapsed gear) that would send the laptop onto the floor.
So, while it may be against the rules, and may create a very small chance of danger to others, I think the risk is acceptable and you should just ignore it.
Feb 12, 2019, 9:05 am
#54
Join Date: Sep 2012
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 126
[QUOTE=s0ssos;30767585]And as most things, it is outdated and dosn't make sense. "Standard laptop?" What does that mean anymore? Laptops aren't all heavy, and the newest ones are definitely nowhere close to 10 pounds. Easiest moveable with one hand for almost anyone.
Flight attendants make people put their seat upbright because it impedes evacuation? What about the back row, if they are all reclined isn't that fine? Well, for safety ... It doesn't make any sense.
In fact, most of the rules don't actually make any sense, nor make any difference. Except that they let power hungry people have something to do.[/QUOTE
The rule about last row seats not reclining has always bugged me, too, whether in the last row of F or Y. If the issue was related to fears about people sliding out from under their seatbelts I'd MAYBE understand it, but that's not the stated reason for the rule. if there's not a row of seats or a door behind mine, so what if I'm slightly reclined?
In the end though, I think the rules allow for minimal interpretation mostly to give the FAs (and TSA, for that matter) a hard and fast rule that they can fall back on vice allowing/forcing them to make judgement calls which will definitely result in tremendous whining about unfair treatment. While it's somewhat inconvenient for us, I'd imagine it makes a sometimes PITA job a bit easier.
Flight attendants make people put their seat upbright because it impedes evacuation? What about the back row, if they are all reclined isn't that fine? Well, for safety ... It doesn't make any sense.
In fact, most of the rules don't actually make any sense, nor make any difference. Except that they let power hungry people have something to do.[/QUOTE
The rule about last row seats not reclining has always bugged me, too, whether in the last row of F or Y. If the issue was related to fears about people sliding out from under their seatbelts I'd MAYBE understand it, but that's not the stated reason for the rule. if there's not a row of seats or a door behind mine, so what if I'm slightly reclined?
In the end though, I think the rules allow for minimal interpretation mostly to give the FAs (and TSA, for that matter) a hard and fast rule that they can fall back on vice allowing/forcing them to make judgement calls which will definitely result in tremendous whining about unfair treatment. While it's somewhat inconvenient for us, I'd imagine it makes a sometimes PITA job a bit easier.
Feb 12, 2019, 9:21 am
#55
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: HHonors, TrueBlue, Delta SkyMiles, Hyatt Discoverist, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Airlines.
Posts: 2,035
Just got off of 2686 from PHL-DTW, 717, sitting in the exit row 17A. Person in 17B was already in seat when I boarded, I'm Silver. Taxied out, the whole time he was working on his laptop, opened up, on his lap.
As we turn onto the runway, he is still working away on his laptop. I said, "we are on the runway now, could you please put that away?" He said, "They didn't make an announcement to put it away." I said it's the rules and it's common sense. Then he closed it and left it on his lap. I asked him to put it away, he said he'll leave it on his lap. I said I don't want it go flying if anything happens. He left it on his lap and I gave up.
Did I go overboard on this? We ended up 45 minutes late, if he had a connection, I hope he missed it.
As we turn onto the runway, he is still working away on his laptop. I said, "we are on the runway now, could you please put that away?" He said, "They didn't make an announcement to put it away." I said it's the rules and it's common sense. Then he closed it and left it on his lap. I asked him to put it away, he said he'll leave it on his lap. I said I don't want it go flying if anything happens. He left it on his lap and I gave up.
Did I go overboard on this? We ended up 45 minutes late, if he had a connection, I hope he missed it.
Feb 12, 2019, 9:28 am
#56
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
This is a safety issue. It affects me as the seatmate and everyone around. There is a reason for the policy.
The laptop ought to have been put away at roughly the time the crewmember instruction was given and that was the time to hit the call button when it was not.
As a follow up, you should report this to DL as this was a fail by the FA who ought to have made certain that the laptop was put away.
The laptop ought to have been put away at roughly the time the crewmember instruction was given and that was the time to hit the call button when it was not.
As a follow up, you should report this to DL as this was a fail by the FA who ought to have made certain that the laptop was put away.
Feb 12, 2019, 9:29 am
#57
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: HHonors, TrueBlue, Delta SkyMiles, Hyatt Discoverist, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Airlines.
Posts: 2,035
To all the people saying that the OP went overboard and the should mind their own business, the point is that in the event of an accident or an aborted take off, that laptop could go flying, hit someone on the head and potentially kills someone. Put simply, it is my business.
I just don't get why some people are serial rule breakers and just have to be general a**holes all the time.
If the rule says put the laptop away, then just put it away.
I also blame the FAs for not dealing with this situation / no noticing that the guy had his laptop out.
I just don't get why some people are serial rule breakers and just have to be general a**holes all the time.
If the rule says put the laptop away, then just put it away.
I also blame the FAs for not dealing with this situation / no noticing that the guy had his laptop out.
Feb 12, 2019, 9:31 am
#58
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: none
Posts: 1,668
These are the same people who know that holding a styrofoam cup could be a potential hazard in case the plane crashes.
Duhh!
Duhh!
Feb 12, 2019, 9:35 am
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,004
Feb 12, 2019, 9:41 am
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Back in Reds Country (DAY/CVG). Previously: SEA & SAT.
Programs: DL PM 1MM, AA PLAT, UA Silver, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 10,346