I didn't say YOU thought I was being rude, I said some people consider that response 'rude'- because it's not sugary sweet & full of please and thank you. I'm sorry, but once someone has violated a safety rule (REPEATEDLY, as I mentioned) then there is no room for being polite, just firm. Firm is not rude.

You said: ""taping (tapping?) your toe and yelling "Federal Law" makes most people defensive and introduces a tense situation (that takes additional time) to deal with.""

And asking someone to turn off their phone the first time often makes them defensive too. After they've refused several times to turn off a phone reasoning with them (even in an adult fashion) rarely works. I am simply asking if they are aware of the consequences of their actions. That is neither childish or rude. At that point the passenger is mostly defensive for the simple reason that they 'dont like being told what to do'.

People know what goes on in airplanes these days. If you don't like having to follow rules, then don't fly. I bet half these people are the same ones who drive while on the phone, don't stop at stop signs and park illegally too.

As for Mythbusters, sure, one experiment in a controlled environment showed it had no effect, but they are by no means aviation experts or engineers, they cannot possibly predict and replicate all factors that may be in play. So, airlines err on the side of caution and ban mobile phone usage across the board.

I have personally worked for 3 airlines, 2 of whom ban phone usage at all times and one who allowed it at other times. It was a nightmare trying to tell passengers on the other two airlines that we were not on the 3rd today and they could not use their phones. And yes, we once had to divert to another airport because a cell phone interfered with the instruments and put us off course.

Reply