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Flight Attendants Union Challenges FAA Decision Allowing Passengers to Use Electronics in All Phases of Flight

Not sure how this relates to the rule changes in the US but on recent flights I made from the UK to Italy (and back) we were allowed to use handheld electronics (phones / kindles / mp3 players) as long as they were in flight mode during all stages of the flight including takeoff and landing which is a change to last time I flew around 18 months earlier so it would appear a similar rule change is already active in Europe...

Larger electronics like laptops still had to wait for the fasten seatbelt light to go out, so couldn't be used during takeoff or landing.
 
zin said:
They care because flight attendants bear some responsibility for the safety of the aircraft. If you are messing around on your iPhone or iPad then you are not paying attention to the safety announcements at the beginning of the flight, nor are you paying attention to any unexpected behaviour of the airplane during landing.

I just can't understand how it is so hard for somebody to stow away their gadgets for the first and last 10-15 minutes of the flight.
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I was sitting next to a FA during my last flight, and this is exactly what she said. The problem is that people will not be prepared for any emergency communications during takeoff and landing. That was her only comment on the subject.
 
zin said:
They care because flight attendants bear some responsibility for the safety of the aircraft. If you are messing around on your iPhone or iPad then you are not paying attention to the safety announcements at the beginning of the flight, nor are you paying attention to any unexpected behaviour of the airplane during landing.

I just can't understand how it is so hard for somebody to stow away their gadgets for the first and last 10-15 minutes of the flight.
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If someone isn't going to pay attention to the safety briefing, they aren't going to pay attention.

We act like this briefing includes extremely complex information that any reasonably intelligent 7 year old wouldn't already intuitively know.

Buckle your seat belt and if the plane's going down put on the mask that drops literally directly in front of your face.

The exits are the only doors on the plane and there will be inflatable slides that appear there to either help you get down or can double as rafts (none of which has anything to do with the passenger).
 
zin said:
They care because flight attendants bear some responsibility for the safety of the aircraft. If you are messing around on your iPhone or iPad then you are not paying attention to the safety announcements at the beginning of the flight, nor are you paying attention to any unexpected behaviour of the airplane during landing.

I just can't understand how it is so hard for somebody to stow away their gadgets for the first and last 10-15 minutes of the flight.
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The issue with the safety announcement is that it is so rote and routine now that no one pays any attention to it. I think they could make it more useful by updating it and giving information specific about the plane. Everyone knows how to put a seatbelt on and take it off. For example, what would be helpful would be being told that the exit rows on this plane are next to rows 21 and 22. That way I know in advance when I'm in row 16 whether the closest exit is behind me. Or since there are more planes with video, show some realistic recreations of what I might expect in an actual emergency.
 
Zxxv said:
How many times do we have to listen to the safety brief? do they think we are stupid and didn't listen the first few times we flew?
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If there's an incident there will be lawsuits galore as people will claim they didn't know the emergency procedure. American's love suing corporations.
 
jtara said:
It is *not* just about the safety briefing.

What if something does go wrong during takeoff or landing - the most common time for something to go wrong?

Will you pay attention if you are engrossed in your cocooned personal world?

Of course, some idiot is always going to walk into a manhole or off the edge of a cliff because they are not paying attention while staring at a little screen, but we can't help those people. We can try to make sure that people are alert and paying attention to any instructions or information during takeoff and landing.

Plus, it is just plain rude. The flight crew is going to come though and make sure everybody has their seat belts on, for example. They should not have to take the extra time to get your attention for that or any other purpose.
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Oh please. Even those who don't have electronic devices out are reading books, magazines, yelling at their kids, chatting with their neighbors or already sound asleep.
 
zin said:
I just can't understand how it is so hard for somebody to stow away their gadgets for the first and last 10-15 minutes of the flight.
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It’s not that it’s hard, but that it may be unnecessary. How many people do pay attention to these safety briefings and how effective are they anyway? In many of my flights the voice was barely understandable (even though I understood the language) and depending on your position you can’t see the attendant doing their performance either. So you’re stuck with the instructions card in front of you.
 
i especially love the swim vest part when we dont even fly over water. just last week the flight attendant was like "and now we come to the swim vest part cuz we all know its hard to swim to frankfurt" made me lol
 
mono1980 said:
Wow, it's almost like they derive pleasure out of telling you to put away your electronic devices.
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I've seen some flight attendants get really short with passengers who take an extra 5 seconds to turn on airplane mode....

Then again I also see passengers who blatantly ignore the rules and are making calls up until the plane takes off.

Both sides do stupid stuff. Humans are humans. At the end of the day, a handheld device in airplane mode isn't harming anything.
 
iNewbie said:
This doesn't even make sense... Few really listened to the safety briefing anyway. Many people read a magazine or even SkyMall. Device or not if you want to pay attention you can. If you don't want to listen you're not going to.
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On my last flight they just played a video and with a touchscreen monitor in every seat the flight attendants just stand there anyway.
 
Flight attendants should of went away with the milk man. What do they really do anyway? They're lucky that this is a eye candy occupation, and if they weren't majority females then they would be getting a McDonald's employee salary. Like I asked,what do they go again?
 
See, this is the kind of thing that never should have been a federal regulation in the first place.

If an airline wants to ban its passengers from using electronics, it can do so already. Just put language in the ticket agreement to the effect that you can’t use devices at certain times—or even at all—during their flights, with additional fees for breaking the terms of the contract.

Heck, an airline could even advertise its flights as “distraction free” and charge extra money to people who want to ride on a plane without cellphones (or pocket knives or bottles of water or containers of shampoo over 3 fluid ounces or whatever). There is no reason for the government to get involved in any of that.
 
jrswizzle said:
I've seen some flight attendants get really short with passengers who take an extra 5 seconds to turn on airplane mode....

Then again I also see passengers who blatantly ignore the rules and are making calls up until the plane takes off.

Both sides do stupid stuff. Humans are humans. At the end of the day, a handheld device in airplane mode isn't harming anything.
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Agreed. That has been my issue all along.

Nothing is gained or lost because some people are on thier phones during take off or landing.
 
All of this makes me want to work that much harder towards a PPL. then I won't ever have to worry about FAs again.. or baggage handlers (baggage claim will be at the back of the plane).. or the TSA.

BL.
 
zin said:
They care because flight attendants bear some responsibility for the safety of the aircraft. If you are messing around on your iPhone or iPad then you are not paying attention to the safety announcements at the beginning of the flight, nor are you paying attention to any unexpected behaviour of the airplane during landing.

I just can't understand how it is so hard for somebody to stow away their gadgets for the first and last 10-15 minutes of the flight.
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I fly a lot. Passengers are preoccupied with one thing or another from the moment the get in their seat to landing. It's a weak argument to blame tablets or phones when it's not the sole reason people are not paying attention to FAs announcements or the pre-recorded video. Even in 1985 passengers ignored FAs announcement on how to use a seat as a flotation device. It's human nature.
 
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jrswizzle said:
Damn unions....let me listen to my music while taking off. I've heard the stupid safety speech about a million times....I could likely tell you exactly where the life-vests/rafts are located on every type of plane across American Airlines' entire fleet.....
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Good for you. Not everyone flys as much as you do.
 
I'm torn on this a bit. If there's an emergency that isn't immediately visibly obvious to a passenger and requires swift action, then having earphones on while watching a movie or show could be an issue. Additionally, a thin, small metal object like an iPhone can cause more damage than a book or other such item when thrown by anyone, not to mention a terrorist.

Now enough Devil's Advocate, aside from those extreme's, I don't see these being major complaints.
 
Is this really such an issue for passengers? Can folk not manage without their precious devices for 10 mins or so at the beginning and end of a flight. All these complainers sound like spoilt children who have had their favourite toy taken away, a bit pathetic really.
 
Typical of most union methods. Make a lot of noise, get attention. Then it appears to their dues paying members that the union is actually doing something, even though they aren't. Just keep the dues flowing in...that's the main objective.
 
marine0816 said:
Flight attendants should of went away with the milk man. What do they really do anyway? They're lucky that this is a eye candy occupation, and if they weren't majority females then they would be getting a McDonald's employee salary. Like I asked,what do they go again?
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It may seem that way at times, but when things go wrong, they can and do save lives.

That said, the reason I don't pay attention to the safety briefing is because I've already heard it over a hundred times. When I get in an aircraft I make note of where the E-exits are relative to me, fasten my seatbelt and start reading on my tablet. There's no reason to listen to the safety briefing that I've already practically memorized.
 
camruny said:
Couldn't my device still become a "dangerous projectile" even if it were turned off?
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Maybe, but not in the "off position".

(They have ridiculous language they use. What does "off position" even mean? If I tilt a Kindle 45 degrees, is it in the "off position"?)
 
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