Turn your laptop off right now or else!

[AirHostess]

I only have a few weeks left as a humble sky waitress before I leave for bigger and better things...woooooo no customers, no shifts, no serving people....ah the magic world of the public sector.

On my last flight I had a really annoying man in biz class. The captain had given us 10 mins to landing, one of the other crew read the landing PA and we began to secure the cabin for landing.

Me: Excuse me sir, would you make sure your laptop is turned off please, table stowed and seat upright?
SC: YES YES YES I'm doing it
Me: Oooookkkkkkk...I'll be back in a minute

I went on securing the cabin and said SC was STILL using his laptop

Me *trying to be nice still.* Sorry, I can see you're really busy (like I care or like that's my problem!) but you need to turn that off now.
SC: We have 10 minutes until landing, I'm busy!
Me: Well I won't be able to give the cabin secure checks to the Captain until you have stowed your belongings and put your seat up.
SC: I'm busy!
Me: Well if you don't do as I asked you to we won't be able to land and will get put in a holding pattern which means we will be delayed.
SC: For God's sake
Me: Sir, I need you to turn the laptop off right now or I will be telling the captain we cannot land.
SC: FINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.



I hate my job so much! I am sick of having to tiptoe round people, especially 'Gold Card' holders flying in biz who think they are God.

[Gibbo]

What was he doing that was so important that he couldn't turn his laptop off. He was probably playing football manager rather than actually working.

[mikoyan29]

What the hell is wrong with people? I know that the reason for this is rather dubious, but they think one of the crashes about 15 years ago was caused because the aircraft's navigation system was interfered with by some electronic device. I guess this guy thinks that whatever he was working on is more important than a safe landing...but geeze....

[WhiteRose]

"sir, we need to land now and your laptop might crash the plane, therefore making you late...for your own convenience you might want to put that away for now..."

THAT's how it should be phrased....make them WANT to put their laptop away if it means they won't be late....

[Crossbow]

Have the captain get on the intercom and explain that the plane is forced to remain in a holding pattern and not land because somebody didn't follow the regulations. Get the rest of the passengers pissed at him. ;-)

[WhiteRose]

and then....MUTINY!! get him tossed off the plane permanently (after it lands, of course)...

[mikoyan29]

I tried to do a little digging about the subject. Like I said, I seem to remember a crash a few years ago that they believe was caused by interference by some electrical device in the cabin. After that investigation, they decided that it would be better to turn them off during landing and take off.

Anyways, this story is as good as any:
Cell Phones and Planes
The article deals with cell phones but it mentions other electric devices. It sounds like the jury is still out but I'm of the opinion that since things working properly is critical during landing and takeoff (this is when things get dangerous), it's better to be safe than sorry.

[MercenaryMuffin]

I always thought the whole "no electronics during take-off or landing" rule was pretty stupid.

Portable electronics, no matter how many of them on the plane, will NOT interfere with the aircraft's guidance systems. Period. They even did a MythBusters on this, basically simulating hundreds of devices on at once, sitting right next to a panel full of instruments, and nothing happened.

But rules are rules, no matter how lame, and that guy was a jack ass.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

$5 he was was posting on facebook or doing some other equally mundane thing.

[mikoyan29]

I always thought the whole "no electronics during take-off or landing" rule was pretty stupid.

Portable electronics, no matter how many of them on the plane, will NOT interfere with the aircraft's guidance systems. Period. They even did a MythBusters on this, basically simulating hundreds of devices on at once, sitting right next to a panel full of instruments, and nothing happened.

But rules are rules, no matter how lame, and that guy was a jack ass.

I think it depends on the device. Something transmitting a signal might interfere with the equipment.

[Broomjockey]

I always thought the whole "no electronics during take-off or landing" rule was pretty stupid.

Well, I think now the rule is mostly so that there isn't loose stuff rattling around the cabin. After all, with the plane accelerating/decelerating, anything not stowed can be dangerous. And mythbusters also showed how small objects travelling at speed in a car collision can be dangerous. Now multiply that by the speed in an aircraft if something goes wrong.

[Talon]

$5 he was was posting on facebook or doing some other equally mundane thing.

Oh I got one. Shout out loudly:

"Sir, your farm-animal smut can wait until after we land!"

[MercenaryMuffin]

Valid concern, I suppose, though I have to wonder how much damage my iPod could do to someone if it was tossed into the air or something. Besides, who's keeping their iPod or DS or whatever where it can get tossed into the air or get flung at someone at high speed?

If the plane has done something that makes your little MP3 player suddenly dart off across the cabin, chances are that that MP3 player is the least of your concerns

Besides, the reason they always give us is the stuff about it interfering with navigation and all. Hogwash, I say! HOGWASH!

[aurelemsrealm]

None of that matters. All businesses have certain rules and regulations they impose on their employees to enforce. Employees shouldn't have to deal with grief from customers, also, while trying to do their jobs per management instructions. I know I sure as hell get sick of being caught in the middle all of the time since I'm running the store by myself more than half the time.

[Stig]

I think it depends on the device. Something transmitting a signal might interfere with the equipment.

If there was the slightest chance that passengers devices would interfere with equipment then we wouldn't be allowed to have them. There's no way an 8 year old would be trusted to follow directions and keep his game turned off if there really was a potential issue with them. Still as someone else pointed out, rules-is-rules