On a flight this morning, I took a camera out of my bag. Not to use it, mind you, but because I spilled water on the bag and wanted to make sure it was okay. The flight attendant freaked out, telling me "I can't let you have that on MY plane." It didn't matter to her that I wasn't actually going to take a picture.

She was cordial enough about it, but I had to ask the policy for the rule. She said "they" have been taking pictures of plans, takeoffs, landings, and "our procedures."

This has gotta be nonsense. Continental's in-flight magazine lists cameras among the items permitted to be used on board, provided the plane is above 10,000 feet and the flight attendant makes the usual announcement.

Why?!?

The FA was a paranoid ninny.

Cameras are certainly allowed. Some airlines don't want you taking pictures of the planes/crew for their own reasons, but most are OK with you taking pictures out the window (of course, some members have posted that they've gotten in trouble with airline crew and the TSA for taking pictures out the window, despite there being no policy against it )

Don't try to take a picture out the window of an El Al while on approach in Tel Aviv, you will get smacked on the head with a newspaper and promptly scolded.

Why? What so secret about Tel Aviv?

http://images.google.com/images?q=Te...ff&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.hmi.de/people/zimmermann/bilder/tel-aviv.jpg

http://www.neiu.edu/~ncaftori/gif/is...viv-marina.jpg

http://www.shalomgemeente.nl/images/Web%20foto's/15122003/Tel%20aviv/Tel%20Aviv%2002.jpg

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...te.nl+Tel+Aviv

Have the Israeli Government become as fascist as the folks who originally gave Israel its Raison d'Etre?

As for the OP: This has been discussed often here and at the Travel Safety and Security forum. When search is restored you'll be ableto find more, but until then, here's one:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=313388&page=1

and my favorite site on the subject:

http://www.brownequalsterrorist.com/

I was banned from taking pictures during take-offs and landings on recent Iberia flights.

You specifically?

In 1991, we were warned not to take pictures out of the window at Moscow.

photography isn't allowed when taking off from or landing at most Greek airports (as they're primarily military bases). But this doesn't affect ATH and AFAIK the policy on SKG changed recently so you won't have a problem unless you're flying domestic/charter to islands.

Couple of weeks ago I was on AA LAX-ORD in F. There were 6-7 young Japanese guys boarding and the last guy asked the captain if he could take a picture of himself standing in front of the open cockpit door. Once the co-pilot saw that he was trying to do it himself, she offered to get up, and take a picture of the pax sitting in the co-pilots seat. ^

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390750

Hardly suprising since until December of that year, Moscow was the capital of something called "The Soviet Union".

(These days you can take all the pictures you want there)

Yes, as far as I know. I was in the front business section so I couldn't tell you if anyone else was banned.

you might want to have a look here regarding electrical devices on aircraft.

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aer...ere_story.html

Myself, i have openly used cameras on BA, Virgin, Delta, Alaska and Southwest flights without a problem.

I always try to take a photo of the plane before I get on, just for my collection, and to get the tail number for my logbook. Last month, at CDG T1, I started to do this, and two security guards (they were manning the security checkpoint, which was right at the gate) came running over, yelling "no photos!" in French and English. So I put my camera away, although I was peeved since I the plane I was about to board was UA's Star Alliance livery 767 , which I'd never been on.

So I went through security, and while those guys were distracted, I managed to snap a photo unobserved from the actual gate seating area. Later, I figured that they were trying to tell me photography in/of the security checkpoint was prohibited, not of the aircraft/tarmac.

Does anyone know about the rules at CDG, and what the story is?

I've never had any issues with PED use on CO mainline, but on XJT (Continental Express) the FA's are very zealous about PED's - recently I was told I could not use a handheld Garmin GPS (fine, I put it away) but the FA went on to lecture me "You cannot use a GPS on ANY AIRLINE" which is pure b.s., United for one allows them. And I don't know if CO mainline allows them, but I've never been challenged for using it on a mainline flight including EWR-HKG.