Get Off The F-IN Phone

[Parche]

Southwest: Airline passenger refuses to hang up cell phone during flight

01:02 PM CDT on Monday, May 12, 2008
By TERRY MAXON and SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News

Dallas police met a Southwest Airlines plane at Dallas Love Field on Monday after flight staff reported that a passenger refused to stop using his mobile phone during the flight.

The passenger was cited for disorderly conduct, Dallas police said. The passenger's name was not immediately available.

The incident occurred during a Southwest flight from Austin to Dallas. “After multiple requests, the flight attendants were not successful in getting the passenger to get off the phone,” said Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit any use of mobile phones except when the aircraft is on the ground.

Ms. King said airlines can be fined up to $25,000 if they permit mobile phone usage during a flight, and individuals also can face fines.

“Our flight attendants asked for local authorities to meet the aircraft,” Ms. King said. “At that point, we stepped out of the way and left the matter to the local authorities.”

Carrie Harmon, a Transportation Security Administration spokewoman, said Monday that the federal agency was not involved with the incident.

Ms. Harmon said unless the incident involves someone who is a security threat, TSA isn’t involved.

The Federal Aviation Administration recorded 133 cases last year in which passengers were charged for “unruly” behavior, such as interfering with the duties of crew members.

That figure does not include cases in which charges were not filed

[crimsonblue]

1. I don't see how the FAA has the authority to restrict phone usage.

There have been NO tests that have ever linked cell phone usage to instrument malfunction. If a measley cell phone could bring down a plane, then WTF? The cables and wiring, not to mention the flight computers themselves, are all shielded from interference, and sometimes even EMPs. Cell phones provide no safety risk; in fact, I always keep mine on during flights. If I need to make a call, I use the restroom. I've been doing this for 5 or 6 years, and not a plane crash yet!

[TZ]

2. Thats not the point

You can also find the same kind of people who make the arguments about smoking on planes.
Besides riding on a plane is irritating enough without having to listen to some jerk blabbing away on the cellphone.
I say keep the rule if only to keep other passengers from wanting to throttle the rude people

[madinmaryland]

4. The only thing a cell phone can do at 35,000 feet is to cause emi.

Cell phones will not work at 35,000 feet as they are too far away from cell tower. The transmission strenth from a tower is generally 5000-10000 feet.

Unless the planes add their own satellite transmitters, then you will not be able to use the phone, except at lower altitudes.

[Angleae]

6. The wiring isn't shielded

Some are, most aren't. Especially on newer planes with datalinked computers (piddley 24ga twisted-pair unshielded wires)

[crimsonblue]

8. so they have bare copper wiring running through the plane?

Ummm... no. The little plastic or composite cover over the wires IS the shielding. And the waves are still traveling through the air, irregardless of if there happens to be a turned on cellphone. If you think that cellphones actually mess up airplanes, you are just freaking crazy.

[Angleae]

9. That plastic cover is called insulation

and it's about 1mm thick. If you think that will stop EM interference but yet the aluminum skin of the airplane won't, you're nuts. Maybe cellphones interfere, maybe they don't, but what about the next generation of phones or the next generation of aircraft. Cellphone manufacturers aren't required to test them in those circumstances becaused there is a law against it.

[madinmaryland]

13. The copper wiring often referred to as "UTP" or unshielded twisted pair

is a cable with multiple conductors (wires) that are each individually covered with polyvinal chloride (pvc) or a teflon derivative (FEP) which is not nearly as combustible or flammable as pvc (though it is more expensive).

For a cable to actually be sheilded the cable can be have a shield over the entire cable and also over each individual pair. A shield is typically an aluminum foil that runs the entire length of the cable and is bonded to the grounding system.

Finally, cell-phones do emit electromagnetic interference that can and does cause interference on unshielded cabling. The question, is this enough to bring down a plane. Probably not, but it could cause false reading on the radar and guidance systems on the plane, which I'm sure as a passenger you would not want to happen.

[ceile]

3. What is so important you can't wait 55 mins?

That is one of the shortest flights I've ever been on (Austin-Houston is 45mins). What was so important that it couldn't wait 1 hour? Well, that just turned into one expensive phone call.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Good - give the jackass a good $100,000 fine.

The more confined, enclosed, and inescapable a space, the bigger the fine should be for asshole behavior.

[BrklynLib at work]

7. Those cell-phone addcits are rude, selfish, and in for a huge surprise when they develop brain

cancer within the next ten years.

Google "cell phones, brain cancer"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cell+phones%2C+brain+cancer&btnG=Google+Search


Too many people are absolutely going into a bizarro world with their cell phone usage and their inability to stay off them for any length of time..

[Locrian]

10. Its Kenny Tarmac !!

Kenny Tarmac is that annoying person on your flight with an over-inflated sense of self-worth who feels the need to demonstrate to everyone how important he is by loudly calling someone just as the plane lands. He always uses airport abbreviations while referring to his locations to further illustrate just how busy and important he is. He always calls Bob & Tom when he lands, and he always gets another call while talking to them. Notable Quotes "Hey shooter!" "We just landed at ATL." "Hang on, I got a call on my other phone." "I know...I know"

[BuelahWitch]

12. You are so right!

I don't think I've been on a flight the past couple of years w/o a Kenny Tarmac somewhere in the vicinity.

[khashka]

11. I thought they changed that reg

A few years ago on a flight to Boston the guy next to me stayed on his cell phone - he called his wife, all of his kids, the hotel to confirm his reservation (many times). No one said anything. If he keeps this up, I'm lighting a cig, regs or no regs, because he is driving me crazy. I didn't, but I was hard pressed not to slap him and take his phone away from him.


Khash.

[Pierre.Suave]

14. A thread full of good reasons...

to either drive, or buy my own plane...

:P