Man Cited For Cell Use on Aircraft

I saw this today on CNN. The story is here.

A man refused to turn off his cellular phone while on a Southwest Airlines flight, and as a result was cited. It’s about time I say! I fly a lot, and numerous times I’ve seen people stay on calls even as the aircraft is speeding down the runway. This despite the crews many attempts to get them to stop.

Most people don’t need to be on that call. If they truly do the  they shouldn’t be on that aircraft. In either case there lapse in judgement is theirs.

In this particular story the man was literally taking a call from his fathers heart surgeon. So it may truly have been a matter of life and death. Even so, the man had no right to risk the lives of the other passengers. I feel that the ticket is completely warranted. If I were him I’d just pay it…the cost of doing what I had to do at the moment, without regard for the rights of others.

I certainly hope that we NEVER allow the use of cell phones on domestic flights. I’m all for in-flight internet access, but I can’t support anything that will raise the ambient noise level of the cabin substantially.