ats262

what's the appropriate thing to do when a fellow pax will not turn off his iphone for take-off. the pax in 2B this evening worked his laptop until taxiing, then turned it off and stowed it under the seat in front, and then promptly started on his iphone. each time a FA came by, he hid it from their view, and then continued working on it after they went by. he continued to use it through take-off until we were airborne.

is the right thing to do to leave it to the FA's and say nothing? or ring the call button and let them know? it seems i'm seeing this more and more these days especially in the front cabin.

*wood

Ignore it.

phlashba

Rat 'em out! I discreetly inform FA. I always feel better afterward

FriendlySkies

I would also ignore it. I've seen it happen all of the time, especially when I sit in F. I don't see much harm in it. If it really was a problem, the FA would take some action.

themicah

The appropriate thing to do in this circumstance is clearly to jump out of your seat and run up and down the aisle of the plane screaming, "THE GUY IN 2B IS TRYING TO CRASH THE PLANE!!!!!"

AngryMiller

Either that or wake up the FAM and ask him to shoot the offending passenger.

cordelli

Get your phone, and text the FA who probably is texting on hers.

I wouldn't worry about it. Millions of people have left their phones on either intentionally or just because they forgot, not many planes have been dropping from the sky.

N965VJ

If he hadn't been on the crappy AT&T network, he might have gotten it to work at a higher altitude.

Mikey likes it

Why do you see this as any of your business?

wildcatlh

Or he had it on "Airplane Mode" (which takes 2 seconds on the iPhone).

ANyways, OP, just ignore it. It's not going to affect the plane.

Jcd2147

It's quite simple, call him out on it.

If the guy is hiding the phone from the FA then he obviously knows he's doing something he should not be. He's probably the same guy that won't turn the Bose off for landing.

ESpen36

Since many airlines now allow use of phones during taxi in to the gate after landing, I can't imagine it will be much longer before the airlines start allowing phone use during the taxi out (especially given that it can be extremely length taxi times, with ATC holds, WX problems, etc).

I don't see why it is any more dangerous for people to be using their phones during taxi out than it is during taxi in.

I've seen many FAs continuing to use their phones/iPhones/Blackberries after the door closes and the taxi out begins.

My suspicion is that within a few years, the FAA regulations about the use of electronic devices will change. The prohibition on mobile phone/data usage will apply only from the moment the plane enters the active departure runway for takeoff until it exits the arrival runway upon landing.

jkhuggins

Because, I, an ordinary passenger, have been deputized by TSA as The Nineteenth Layer of Security(TM). I must perform my duties to the best of my abilities, in order to protect all commercial aviation, as I have sworn an oath to uphold the ... um ... wait a minute ... when did I swear an oath?

Seriously ... this is what happens when officials employ rhetoric that asks passengers to report anything that seems to be a threat to aviation. We've all heard the FA announcement that the use of cell phones in flight may interfere with the proper operation of the aircraft. (Whether the claim is justified is another debate.) If you ask passengers to report anything dangerous, and repeatedly tell passengers that using cell phones on an aircraft is dangerous, eventually, someone's going to do what you asked them to do.

Having said that ... yeah, if cell phones really posed a danger to aircraft, we'd have planes dropping out of the sky left and right. I wouldn't worry about it.

drewguy

I guess the question is whether you actually believe that the use of portable electronic devices during takeoff and landing actually might increase the odds of a crash. I'm not sure it's ever been demonstrated beyond the theoretical possibility that this could happen. I'm assuming he has his iphone in airplane mode, so it's basically the same as an iPod/CD player/cassette player.

fly-yul

I would be too busy typing on my blackberry to notice.