Why don't you just take a friggin' picture dude?!

[flygirl]

JEEZ. I only had one flight today, with less than 20 passengers on it. Easy, right? Wrong. Almost every one of them, annoyed me in one way or another. People just don't listen.

Here's the list of some of these a-holes:

1. The guy seated directly in front of my jumpseat, who reclined his seatback while we were taxiing. And this, after I made the announcement that seatbacks must be forward, until we're up in the air and I make the p.a. that it's okay to recline them. He tried to sneak it, as if I'm blind, which pissed me off, not to mention the fact that it was very rude to the person sitting behind him. He was in the first seat, which is literally, about 2 feet across from me.

2. The stupid girl who, just minutes before we were about to take off, I caught talking on her cell phone. I said, "Excuse me, that needs to be turned off now." At first, she ignored me and she had her head turned away from me, so I tapped her on the arm and said it again. She looked at me dismissively, and then casually turned her head away from me again, and continued talking on her phone. This was an early morning flight, and I had not had my coffee yet, so I was not in the mood. "HEY!" I just about shouted. She turned back towards me, with this alarmed look on her face. "NOW!" I barked at her. She immediately shut the phone off. When we were up in the air and I went around with my beverage service, she was conveniently asleep. I think I scared her.

3. Immediately after yelling at cell phone girl, I caught another guy using his Blackberry. God, I hate those things. It's like people are so addicted to them, they can't sit there for 5 fucking minutes, without pulling it out of their pocket. Again, I had to be the mean bitch and tell him to turn it off.

4. The snotty businessman seated across from me, about 3 rows back, who wouldn't wait until I made the p.a. announcement, before turning on his iPod. He was also a dick when I gave him his drink. I went around with the garbage bag about 5 times, and everytime he'd have his leg out in the aisle, and wouldn't put anything in the trash bag. Of course, the moment I get back to the galley, to have myself that cup of coffee, he's got to come up, push the curtain back, scaring the shit out of me, and without saying a word, thrust his cups and papers in my face. Then, when we were descending, I sat down in my jumpseat and he's got to put his sunglasses on and STARE at me. I know he was staring because I could see his eyes through the sunglasses. At first, I just looked away, but it was driving me nuts, so I went and stared right back at him. I was SO pissed off because he wouldn't look away, so finally I just undid my seatbelt and stormed back into the galley, until I had to be seated again. On his way out, I mumbled the obligatory "thank you" (even though I didn't mean it), and he just gave me a shitty look and said nothing. Asshole.

[SteeleDragon78]

3. Immediately after yelling at cell phone girl, I caught another guy using his Blackberry. God, I hate those things. It's like people are so addicted to them, they can't sit there for 5 fucking minutes, without pulling it out of their pocket. Again, I had to be the mean bitch and tell him to turn it off.

now you know the reason most techs call those crackberries. if you think the plane ride is killing them, watch them foam at the mouth and cry like a 3yo if it breaks and they cant use it for a day or 2. (gets worse the longer they are without it.) just like crack.

[flygirl]

now you know the reason most techs call those crackberries. if you think the plane ride is killing them, watch them foam at the mouth and cry like a 3yo if it breaks and they cant use it for a day or 2. (gets worse the longer they are without it.) just like crack.

You're absolutely right. I can't tell you how many times I've caught people using them, when they're supposed to be put away. It's like there's an uncontrollable impulse in these people, that makes them absolutely UNABLE to put the crackberry down. It drives me nuts. God forbid these people are alone with their own thoughts for a few minutes!

[wraiths_crono]

Ah yes, I work tech support, phone based, I always see people using them while trying to take company calls, its funny, esp when the wireless repeater in the building is down, like a group of kids being told NO at the candy store har har har (Self control I can go as long as need be without using my blackberry, eps at work!)

[imal'sheva]

Dear Passengers, we are sorry for the delay, but the plane cannot take off, due to passengers speaking on cell phones. For those of you who wish to sue becaue of the inconvenience and missing flights, the people you will take to court are sitting in 34f and 15b.

Have a nice flight.

[auntiem]

I was on one flight where just as they were saying the bit about turning off phones - someone's phone started ringing in the overhead. Nobody moved. She stopped her PA spiel and said "it is someone's, please turn it off or we aren't going anywhere". A guy sheepishly got up and dug it out to turn it off. This was a Dash8 so everyone on the entire plane could see him.

[rerant]

I get that cell phones and iPods need to be turned off, but I don't get why.

Forgive me if I'm a little crass (bad day. ugh) but if there happens to be an emergency situation and, say, the plane is, or is in danger of, going down then that plane is falling with out without a cell phone being on.
Don't get me wrong I'd never fight a flight attendant on it, but it just seems arbitrary to me.

[RayvenQ]

I get that cell phones and iPods need to be turned off, but I don't get why.

Forgive me if I'm a little crass (bad day. ugh) but if there happens to be an emergency situation and, say, the plane is, or is in danger of, going down then that plane is falling with out without a cell phone being on.
Don't get me wrong I'd never fight a flight attendant on it, but it just seems arbitrary to me.

I think that it's not because it causes a problem, or interferes with the aircrafts systems, just that it COULD, same reason that hospitals tell you to shut off your phone too, and with all the variations on models of both aircraft and mobile phones, testing compatability would be nigh on impossible, especially at the rate new ones come out.

[Chanlin]

At least for USA regulations here is a link:

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cellonplanes.html

Basic rundown of the info at above link. There is no definitive proof that cellular phones or other devices will interfere with wireless communications between the Airplane and wireless ground networks used for communication and navigation. However the potential risk is considered great enough that the use of such devices is regulated.

The idea I think here is its better to regulate it and not have needed to then to have needed to and not have done it.

[sirwired]

I get that cell phones and iPods need to be turned off, but I don't get why.

Forgive me if I'm a little crass (bad day. ugh) but if there happens to be an emergency situation and, say, the plane is, or is in danger of, going down then that plane is falling with out without a cell phone being on.
Don't get me wrong I'd never fight a flight attendant on it, but it just seems arbitrary to me.

Well, there are a few reasons:

1) You cannot use any electronic doo-dads during takeoff and landing because if there is a problem and they need to shout important crap at you, they don't want you engrossed in your gadget.
2) In flight, an activated cell phone would confuse the heck out of the ground-based cell system, as your phone would be talking to a large number of towers at once. The new air-based systems work because they overpower the ground-based towers which would be several miles away.
3) Electronic devices don't always behave properly. If they go haywire, they can do bad things like spew out interference over important radio channels. There was a case a few years ago where a malfunctioning TV flooded the frequency that is supposed to be dedicated to emergency traffic. (121.5MHz) The frequencies for VOR navigation also lurk in this general part of the spectrum. (There are a large number of airport approaches that rely on VOR. Getting screwed up there could well mean a collision with the ground or another aircraft in instrument conditions.) Once you are well in the air, there is oodles of time to go to Plan B if VOR goes haywire.
4) And yes, if there is some poor shielding somewhere, it could interfere with on-board equipment.

SirWired

[Mamadrae]

now you know the reason most techs call those crackberries. if you think the plane ride is killing them, watch them foam at the mouth and cry like a 3yo if it breaks and they cant use it for a day or 2. (gets worse the longer they are without it.) just like crack.

Last time I went in for a new phone I plainly stated to the salesman that I did not want anything with fancy mp3's or texting or crap. I wanted a phone that would take the punishment of dogs chewing on it, children throwing it, and me dropping it on concrete.

He actually tried to get me to buy a blackberry, stating I could use it as a schedule book. I tried to be nice but he kept bowling over me. I finally pulled out my brick of a date book and went "Oh lookie here! A blackberry without a battery. How about you get me a PHONE now."

He shut up and got me a phone.

My husband however has a blackberry esk phone via his work. I actually took it away from him this past weekend and refused to hand it over until the end of the weekend. He's in the mountains with his wife, no need for him to be checking e-mails from whiney clients that will just tick him off for the rest of the weekend.

He still can't believe I did that.

[Dave1982]

I get that cell phones and iPods need to be turned off, but I don't get why.

As has been pointed out already, the basic gist of it is that there exists a small but finite possibility that a cell phone or other electronic device (Walkman, PDA, iPod) could emit a signal that would interfere with the aircraft's onboard electronics. This is mostly restricted to the take-off and landing phases of the flight because that is when certain critical navigation functions are used, though they still require that cell phones remain off throughout the flight to ward off any potential interference with voice communications.

MythBusters took a look at this idea once and concluded that most modern electronic gadgetry posed little to no risk, but it remains a case of "better safe than sorry," since it'd be impossible to test every possible combination of gadgets on every type of plane.

Plus - at least in the US - there are FCC and FAA regulations that prohibit the use of such devices in and around aircraft.

[chinashirtgirl]

I fly to Holland quite often because my boyfriend is working there and I have to tell you I'm not a very good flier. I'm quite happy for any regualtion which makes the trip safer. Taking off my shoes at the airport, no liquids, and no mobile phones on the plane. Also it make the plane alot quieter which is nice. Nobody yakking away on their phone to someone "Guess where I am?? No really guess! I'm on a plane!!"

[powerboy]

I am actually looking into getting a Blackberry out of one of my future checks. Ihave a few friends that has them and they are not addicted to them. I know I will not be.

[BookstoreEscapee]

God forbid these people are alone with their own thoughts for a few minutes!

They probably don't have any...