OP, can you please clarify. Was that passenger speaking on the phone, or using his phone for another purpose such as texting, listening to music, etc...?

I doubt there is any confusion about Airport Mode of smartphones. However, I suspect many of us have watched people continuing to text, scanning FB or perhaps continue listening to conference calls after the door has closed -- quietly slipping their phones out of sight as the FAs walk by. It is sort of interesting to watch adults act like 8-year-olds hiding a cookie.

Whether or not we agree or understand the reasons for the airplane mode only after the doors closed (and best for other forums to discuss), it is an FCC/FAA requirement and the FAs are bound to enforce the regs.

So in this case, it is impossible to comment on this particular situation without knowing what was said or what exactly the passenger was doing.

In theory yes, in practice c'mon. I never go to airplane mode nor do most people around me as we continue to text and scroll through Instagram well after pushback from gate. Every now and then a FA gently reminds us to go to airplane mode and I comply with that until the FA is out of sight.

Most FAs do absolutely nothing to enforce airplane mode and they are not penalized for it. There is no incentive for any FA to enforce the reg other than twisted personal satisfaction from power tripping and ruining somebody's travel plans.

I've seen guys continue talking on their phone as we were taxiing and only put it away after the plane rotated. Happy to see the FA take some action in this case and hope it gets publicized more than Dao throwing a hissy fit.

It's power tripping to request complaince to the rules -- announced as the doors are closing on 99% of fights?

Yes, because it is against the norm to request compliance with the rules. (EDIT: in this case "requesting compliance" with consequences i.e. offloading, not merely a verbal request to shut off a phone without regard for whether the phone is actually shut off.)

The vast majority of FAs do not care at all. Thus, the minority that do are seen as power trippers.

Best I could tell, I was 2 rows up, he was talking, but said something like " everybody else has their phone on too ..."

I didn't know why I didn't share this in the first plan, but I had a similar experience in the past.

It was a SunExpress flight from Izmir to Istanbul SAW back in 2015.
After doors were closed and the safety demo was done, the crew came in for the final check.
I was texting on WhatsApp while the crew passed by, the crew asked me if my phone was on airplane mode. I said yes
Then he said, "Sir, you're on WhatsApp as I see" ( translation from Turkish ), I told him that I would switch to airplane mode immediately, then I have switched my phone on airplane mode and he continued the check on other passengers.

Boom, the cabin crew was completely right to kick that passenger out.

If he was talking and FA asked him to go to Airplane mode and he mouthed off - good riddance, he can fly the next plane

What happens in an emergency - this guy is the one who blocks the aisle getting his oversized duffle bag out cause he is speshul. If he can't seem to follow basic instructions then he can catch a greyhound, you can have your phone on gate to gate

eh, he should have said no, got dragged off, and become a millionaire.

I'd definitely stay in my seat if only to force a departure delay

I personally am glad that this happened. It is a standard announcement. Don't like the rule? Then don't fly. Irrespective of whether you think the rule is valid.

I like how someone commented if you can't follow the simple rule of switch your phone to airplane mode then what happens when you are told to leave your carryon if you need to leave the plane in an emergency (I still get the chills when I think of the Aeroflot flight a couple of weeks ago where people at the front of the plane took their carryon off the plane while others burnt to death).

Flying is not mandatory but switching your phone to airplane mode when flying is - just do it. Kudos to the FA and pilot.

This is faulty. Flying is an essential form of transit in today's world. Irrespective of what you think of the phone rule, it is widely known to be a superfluous rule.

But not compulsory....don't like the rule, don't fly. Or lobby the FAA to have it changed.

Those are completely unrealistic options for the modern businessperson.

99% of flyers and FAs acknowledge the stupidity of the rule by ignoring it.