Southwest passenger cited for cell phone chatter

Southwest Airlines says a passenger who refused to get off his cell phone during a flight found Dallas police waiting for him.

[East Side Pride]

Wow...fined up to $25,000. I will be sure to leave my phone in my carry on.

[Bo Vine]

" Police said Joe David Jones, 50, of Austin, was cited for disorderly conduct. Jones did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment. "

Did they take away his phone? heheheh

mooo eat moor chikin

[Colleen]

"Jones did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment."

Hmmmm, I wonder why?

[plasticman]

Good.

[Jake]

Is this the same dude? It says the company is based in Austin.

http://skyonic.com/directorsOfficers.php

Is any publicity good publicity?

[Hugh G Rection]

I could just see this pompous a-s-shole on the phone, chatting it up (even more disturbing is the texas drawl he probably has) while a bunch of people around him were rolling their eyes, getting fidgety and wanting to bit-ch slap the phone right off his ear. The whole time, this moron is probably talking about stuff we can care less about, 5 octaves above normal to compensate for the in flight noise.

[ex-NWA mechanic]

I was around when the FAA was doing tests on a DC-9 with a dozen or more different types of cell phones - to see if they could detect any interference on the avionics from them. They couldn't. Cell phones DO NOT affect aircraft navigational equipment. They did the test 8 hrs a night for a week.

[soso]

Hugh--excellent name!

[YEAH YEAH DUH]

whats the difference between talking on a cell phone or talking to someone next to you?
The difference is you only hear one idiot instead of two!
Relax people!

[Duke]

YEAH YEAH DUH wrote:

whats the difference between talking on a cell phone or talking to someone next to you?
The difference is you only hear one idiot instead of two!
Relax people!

People tend to talk louder on their phones than to the person next to them.

[Suzanne_TX]

ex-NWA mechanic wrote:

I was around when the FAA was doing tests on a DC-9 with a dozen or more different types of cell phones - to see if they could detect any interference on the avionics from them. They couldn't. Cell phones DO NOT affect aircraft navigational equipment. They did the test 8 hrs a night for a week.

I don't care if they interfere or not. It's obnoxious. It shouldn't be allowed, if only because I can just see how bad it's going to be to fly every time with idiots chattering on their cell phone the whole flight because they are incapable of entertaining themselves for a few hours.

[vote for harry]

He probably wasn't even talking to anyone...just pretending....so he sounds important.
loser!

[Libertarian]

ex-NWA mechanic wrote:

I was around when the FAA was doing tests on a DC-9 with a dozen or more different types of cell phones - to see if they could detect any interference on the avionics from them. They couldn't. Cell phones DO NOT affect aircraft navigational equipment. They did the test 8 hrs a night for a week.

You are correct that it does not cause interference but it causes havoc on the ground based towers. The airplane is flying so fast that the call keeps getting passed from tower to tower. if that tower is at full capacity for calls, it will kick one off the tower, thus dropped calls. Imagine this multiplied by 20 or so people per plane and however many plane are in the area. This is why airplanes need their own "tower" if you will. That way it can broadcast it to satellite without disrupting ground based towers.

[Ban It All]

Let's ban cellphones in public buildings too. Just as annoying in stores and restaraunts as airplanes.Make it illegal to talk on them while driving too.

[wtf]

I think airlines ban cellphone usage on aircraft more because it disturbs other passengers. IMO it would not cause the plane to crash.

If it truly was a safety issue wouldn't you think they airline would take it away from you before you boarded the aircraft?

[thissucks]

Joe David Jones...hhhm. I think he felt "dissed."

[vote for harry]

Ban It All wrote:

Let's ban cellphones in public buildings too. Just as annoying in stores and restaraunts as airplanes.Make it illegal to talk on them while driving too.

as of july 1st 2008 it will be illegal in the state of cali....better get a bluetooth!

[vote for harry]

talking and driving that is.......

[Bo Vine]

problem causing or not it is currently against FAA rules / laws.

I agree that if a cell phone was so seriously a problem they would not be allowed on the plane at all.

I also feel that this is a crowd management issue just like the seat belt. Lets get real people what good does a seat belt do at 700MPH when you hit the ground. Yes it may help in turbulence but the bigger issue is it keeps you in your seat when they want to keep movement down.

Keeping cell phones off makes it easier for the crew to communicate as well as a more comfortable ride.

mooo eat moor chikin

[nunyabizness]

Good call Bo Vine. I think the real reason for the FAA regulation is to prevent "air-rage." Can you imagine being on even a 3-4 hour flight, stuck in a middle seat between 2 wind-bags? Better yet imagine a chain-smoker in that middle seat that hasn't had a heater for about 3 hours. Now add in about 5-6 cocktails to the mix. While we're at it, think 150 people all trying to talk at once, having to speak louder and louder to be heard over the din. Can you spell Ultimate Fighting X 100?

I recently heard that Europe is going to allow in-flight cel-phone usage soon. I'm sure this will be an abysmal failure. Hopefully, it never even gets a try here.