Hate paying airline add-on fees? This NYT article might change your mind.

[nimoh]

Because people are rude and would talk and the entire flight disturbing the other passengers around them. Who do you need to talk to on the plane anyway?

Who said I wanted to talk on my phone?

Although, why would talking on a phone be more disturbing to other passengers than talking to the person sitting next to you? Also, it wouldn't be for the whole flight anyway, since cell reception drops to nothing a short while after take off, due to the laws of physics...which make much more sense than the laws of the airline.

In the announcement, they say phones must be turned off because they can interfere with the plane's navigation system. Are you saying this is a ruse because the airline is not comfortable making an announcement such as "In an effort to be more considerate to your fellow passengers, please turn off all phones"?

---------- Post added May 14th, 2014 at 02:56 PM ----------

With regards to electronics they have actually started to soften up though.. not much but a start

I wonder why that is?

Have plane navigation systems been improved?

 

[Mike]

Hell with the phone issues which are more complex. How about starting with something easy-- why the hell can't the plane take off or land if someone has their seat reclined? You think phones mess up the electronics, apparently if there is just one dang seat reclined during landing, there is risk of the plane stalling out and face planting into the earth!

 

[nimoh]

Hell with the phone issues which are more complex. How about starting with something easy-- why the hell can't the plane take off or land if someone has their seat reclined? You think phones mess up the electronics, apparently if there is just one dang seat reclined during landing, there is risk of the plane stalling out and face planting into the earth!

ya, my list wasn't intended to be complete

 

[ams511]

Who said I wanted to talk on my phone?

Duh, because you can have a phone turned on in an airplane but it must be in airplane mode. As for it being more disturbing is because people yell over the phone, when was the last time you were in a restaurant where people are allowed to speak in their cell phones? If you are in a WiFi equipped plane try connecting to Skype, it won't let you do it.

Also much of what you are complaining about is FAA not airline regulations.

---------- Post added May 14th, 2014 at 01:19 PM ----------

How about starting with something easy-- why the hell can't the plane take off or land if someone has their seat reclined?

There are two main reasons why flight attendants pester people to keep those seats up—to keep injuries to a minimum during a crash and to clear the maximum amount of space for a quick exit.

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[nimoh]

Duh, because you can have a phone turned on in an airplane but it must be in airplane mode. As for it being more disturbing is because people yell over the phone, when was the last time you were in a restaurant where people are allowed to speak in their cell phones? If you are in a WiFi equipped plane try connecting to Skype, it won't let you do it.

Also much of what you are complaining about is FAA not airline regulations.

Many flights that I have been on (not all) require phones to be turned off. Not airplane mode, but completely off.

However, if my phone is in airplane mode, I am unable to send/received text messages, send receive emails, or surf the internet....none of which involves talking.

 

[ams511]

Here is an interesting article: BBC - Future - Why we have to turn electronic devices off on planes

---------- Post added May 14th, 2014 at 01:29 PM ----------

However, if my phone is in airplane mode, I am unable to send/received text messages, send receive emails, or surf the internet....none of which involves talking.

So if the phone rings you are not going to answer it? Also may you may not talk but that is not to say the rest of the passengers won't. Read the link I posted, it explains the reasoning for turning off electronic devices.

 

[Mike]

Well, I hate to break the news, but according to the airlines and the FAA, according to them as of the last study done in 2013, on every flight, 8% of cell phones are on during the flight, due not to fighting the rules, but almost entirely just because some people forgetting to turn them off.

If you think about it logically, if cell phones being on were truly a real danger the FAA and the airlines would have to put a policy in place to absolutely ensure a 100% compliance, which obviously, "please turn your cell phone off" isn't.

 

[KeithG]

The last us flight I was on allowed personal electronic devices (phones) to be left on. They actually stated that during the safety briefing. They did ask them to be placed in "flight" mode.

Which does NOT stop the device from transmitting. Both Bluetooth and wifi still work on my phone when it is in airplane mode.

 

[Tigerman]

...

I wonder why that is?

Have plane navigation systems been improved?

Probably not, but possibly better evidence that it wont hurt the plane?
You can actually use wifi and the planes onboard wireless internet on some flights now


Sent fra min GT-I9300 via Tapatalk

 

[ams511]

Well, I hate to break the news, but according to the airlines and the FAA, according to them as of the last study done in 2013, on every flight, 8% of cell phones are on during the flight, due not to fighting the rules, but almost entirely just because some people forgetting to turn them off.

If you think about it logically, if cell phones being on were truly a real danger the FAA and the airlines would have to put a policy in place to absolutely ensure a 100% compliance, which obviously, "please turn your cell phone off" isn't.

Actually according to the article I posted they claim 4/10 US travelers have admitted to not turning off their cell phones so the actual number left on is probably larger than 8%. If the airline wanted better compliance then all they need to do is boot people off the plane that are using their phones after the announcement. If they use the phones in air then have them arrested on when it lands.

If you read the article it explains the fear is potential stacking of signals would cause problems with the navigation system. It also gave an example of a mysterious compass malfunction that cleared itself up when the flight attendants asked the passengers to double check their cell phones. Planes now are more computer controlled than in the past so a malfunction can lead to an avoidable accident like what happened with that Airbus that crashed in the South Atlantic because the computer go confused because of icing.