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Plane dismantled in search of mobile phone
We all know we're not supposed to turn on our mobile phones until our plane has reached the terminal. We´re told this again and again, and really folks, it´s for our own safety. Of course, some people think they're special and do whatever the hell they want, like an unnamed but certainly unpopular and embarrassed passenger on a Jet2 flight to Newcastle.When the flight stopped in Murcia, Spain, someone turned on their mobile. . .and promptly dropped it into an air vent.
Since the phone was on, the plane couldn´t take off because the mobile's signal could interfere with the navigation systems. The passengers had to wait for three hours as technicians tore out the row of seats this idiot was sitting in, as well as the cockpit area. The mobile was found and the flight continued on its way after the passenger was forced to eat the phone and sing "If I only had a brain" in front of the entire plane.
OK, I made that last bit up, but it would be just, wouldn't it?
(Oh, and this photo, while oddly appropriate, shows an entirely different hole on an entirely different flight. Poor sgoralnick was flying Delta and this hole blew cold air on her feet the entire time. Check out her photos here)
Filed under: Europe, Spain, United Kingdom, Airlines, News












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
M Oct 22nd 2009 7:19AM
Most airlines in the US will allow you to turn on your phone before you reach the terminal, as long as you can get it without moving from your seat. The rule is different in Spain (and different does not mean better), which may lead to misunderstandings.
Sean McLachlan Oct 22nd 2009 8:03AM
True, but wherever you're flying, the flight crew will announce the rules, in English.
Malaycobra Oct 22nd 2009 7:32AM
Since quite a few airlines are considering allowing the use of cell phones in-flight, I think we can safely dispel the myth that mobile phones interfere with anything except other passengers' comfort.
That's reason enough to leave 'em switched off if you ask me.