If a flight crew asks you to put away your phone, absolutely you must comply with their directions. If as a passenger, you notice someone else whip out their phone, you should mind your own business as it's absolutely not a safety threat.

If active phones were a danger to aircraft, then imagine how many planes would be falling out of the sky on a daily basis because one person forgot to turn theirs off.

Another vote for "no need to say anything"

What really bugs me is when people type away on the cell phone until the FA walks by...then they hide the phone looking all Eddie Haskell innocent...and once the FA is out of range, they pull the phone back out and start typing.

I guess a weasel's got to be a weasel.

Exactly. One can spend ten lifetimes trying to rid the world of weasels and not finish the project. Best revenge is to live well and out-upgrade them.

Which I support completely. Realistically though, I can see a good number of people, including specific people here, who think such a request would "infringe on their Freedomz". :rolleyes:

If we're taxiing and some passengers simply refuses to stop using their phone, I would love more than anything for an FA to snatch the phone and turn it off, allowing the flight to stay on schedule (vs. the alternative of returning to the gate, having police remove the offender, and taking off a few hours late). If the phone user decides to become violent, they can be zip-tied in place until the plane lands at its destination.

We need little pods out on the wings where people can go to use their cell phones.

Mike

This and this. I was shocked when I was waiting at ORD for my connecting flight last summer that with the thousands of phones in use in the terminal that planes were able to successfully take off and land without falling out of the sky.

That's nothing! There are flights every day between Canada and Latin America that fly right over US airspace...and there's no Shoe Carnival at non-US airports. I'm surprised that airplanes aren't being blown out of the sky from shoe bombs.

Whoa...let's ease up on the mockery, shall we? Again, I never even implied that the rule was an important one, let alone mission critical. Nor did I suggest that, after 1 million BIS miles, I fear for my life over an on/off switch.

My question was more an ethical one than a practical one, a fact which seems to have escaped most. In any case, it was answered and acknowledged. End of story.

Rather that telling on them why not just say to them "are you planning on turning that off?".

Yes the risk from a cell phone to a modern plane is remote if any, but still its; not much different from me saying that any of the rules flying don't apply to me.

--i.e. why should i sit in my allocated seat, why shall I listen to the flight attendant instructions about silly stiff like my arm rest or tray or window blinds position.

That was about the dumbest reply on this thread I heard of merely because these electronic rule applies once the door is closed and we are pushing away from the gate and you are inside the plane.... as an employee I say mind your own unless you are a nervous flyer (they still exist) and you feel unsafe or uncomfortable then say something, but that is apart of a FA's job is to make you feel safe. The best answer is to come:

IF THE FA TELLS YOU TO TURN IT OFF YOU MUST COMPLY... YOU MUST COMPLY...PERIOD

Honestly most FAs don't care.. I have told you and I have done my job. Now if FAA is on the plane and you whip that sucker out and I am in my jumpseat.. thats on you and thats a 5 figure fine YOU have to pay not me and my airline.

Yes.. planes don't fall out of the sky because a electronic is on BUT its not the flight crews' rule its the FAA who says its a rule. UNTIL the FAA decides otherwise on this nationwide policy, GET OVER IT.
For those Bloobs that act real confused these are considered electronics:
Kindles and ALL E-READERS
IPhones (they turn off b/c mine does)
Blackberry phones
BOSE HEADPHONES
ANY AND ALL Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Ipads

BUT you can have an electric razor on lol

Er.... welcome?

(I'm getting a grammar headache...)

OK, what about a laptop in emergency row? I did call the FA over that.

I've never heard of a policy against it. In fact I've used mine several times while in one and never had a FA say anything about it other than one who politely asked that I stow it for takeoff which of course I did.