[LawSchoolStudent]

When a person boards a plane, there is not much he or she can do. It is almost as if they are falsely imprisoned, or held as a hostage. I did not have this mentality until my friends shared their experiences with me upon their latest flight, which unfortunately for them, was with Delta.

As soon as they boarded their plane (they being a couple), the flight attendant gave them attitude for boarding late. When in fact, they had been at the gate waiting as the first passengers boarded the plane, only being the last to board because they waited for everyone else to enter to avoid the crowd. Later, as they sat in their seat adjusting their phones to airplane mode, the same flight attendant barked at them to turn off their phones. As if that was not enough, she came back again and yelled at them, giving them the same previous command to turn off their phone. When the girl explained to the flight attendant that the devices were on "airplane mode," the flight attendant told them she did not care, and that she wanted the devices off. The girl again insisted she has flown several times and that airplane mode was okay.

As the two are exchanging words, two black passengers sitting directly behind the couple interjected into the conversation and told the girl, "Don't give the flight attendant any attitude."

She tells them to mind their own business, and they respond by hurling threats at her, telling her, "wait and see what happens to you after we get off the plane" and calling her all sorts of profanities with very vulgar language, such as "f'ing hoe" and other delightful phrases.

The flight attendant reports the couple, who are then detained and forced to deal with the Police and TSA at the airport. They were both held, questioned, and threatened with being blacklisted. Yet, the passengers who sided with the flight attendant, despite making threats repeatedly, screaming profanities in the plane (disturbing the peace much?), and using vulgar language were not arrested or questioned.

What is that nonsense? The passengers sitting behind my friends should have minded their own business, you can fly with your device on air-plane mode, the flight attendant should have known that. Instead, she decided to power trip and reward the passengers who were making threats and shouting profanities by not reporting them merely because they sided with her.

Class act Delta!

[LawSchoolStudent]

If it were bad service and horrible attitudes at a restaurant, it could have been remedied by simply walking away. But when you are in an airplane, you have to stay the course in order to reach your destination--and reach it on time.

You airline employees should take note of this distinction.

[jimworcs]

There are serious problems with customer service and I have written many times about the abuse of power by FA's in US airlines, particularly since 9/11. However, if you are going to launch into a debate with the FA's, it is useful to have the facts right.

In the vast majority of airlines the rule is as follows:

Prior to take off you must switch off ALL electrical devices. Once the passenger seat belt sign is switched off, passengers may operate electrical devices with an "Airplane Safe" mode.

There is a second rule. Passengers must carry out the lawful instructions of the FA's.

I note your status as a Law School Student.... you may need to pay more attention. Rules and regulations are often nuanced... in this case, there simply is no case to argue. The FA was correct and your friends were wrong. That doesn't mean the FA didn't have a bad attitude...it is Delta afterall.

[Matt_FLL]

As a law school student, I’m sure you know that are no grounds for class action litigation, but I understand that you are calling for people to read this and take action. I’m also sure that you know that this is a cut-and-dry case, as there was a clear breach of FAA policy. Rudeness may have taken place, but it is irrelevant. I think you just felt that you friends should not have been removed from the aircraft. I understand that you were upset enough to write a complaint on behalf of your friends, and I want to show respect for that.

However, an aircraft cannot depart from the gate until all electronic devices have been turned off. Airplane mode can be used once the flight attendant says it is safe (generally above 10,000 feet). This is FAA regulation. The flight attendants would fail to perform their duty if they did not enforce this safety rule.

Flight attendants aside, you seem like a grounded person, so I hope that you also see this from “across the aisle” as another passenger. We’re talking about 150+ passengers who were prevented from reaching the flight’s destination because someone would not turn off their phone. Many of these folks had connections to make upon arrival. They potentially could have been stranded in a foreign city due to this conflict. Rude behavior is never acceptable, but I know that you would never want people to be stranded and miss important weddings, funerals, business meetings, etc.

If you were flying next to your friends, and you were on your way to see a sick and dying relative, I'm sure you'd feel differently about their removal from the aircraft.

[LawSchoolStudent]

I appreciate the responses, you two seem to know what you are talking about, but I feel there are still things that need to be straightened out.

The conversation between my friend and the flight attendant lasted about two minutes, in these two minutes, the passengers in the back interjected. It was none of their business. More, all the devices were turned off after this point--that is not to say the passengers sitting behind my friends stopped. No, they continued to curse and scream. Regardless, the flight continued, it did take off, my friends were detained once they reached their destination. The belligerent passengers in the back on the other hand, got to walk away freely.

I suppose every passenger should have an FAA rulebook before boarding the plane, because apparently, talking to the stewardess (and an awfully rude one at that) for two minutes is unacceptable and can result into you being detained by the TSA.

As for the passengers, dying relatives, business meetings, all of these things are warranted, but why would you jump to the assumption that such was the case for the belligerent passengers? There were only two passengers who acted out, and they sat directly behind my friends. The flight was out of Vegas, and although the possibility of them having dying relatives is possible, it is unlikely. Like my friends, they were college-aged and were probably in Vegas to have fun before school starts again, or just to have fun for the summer.

Can you explain to me why my friends were detained for asking a question, and why the belligerent passengers, who were rightly told to mind their own business, were allowed to walk away freely after making threats and shouting-out profanities?

In either case, thank you for your responses. It did not occur to me that airplane mode was not allowed upon take-off--I personally just flew to and back from Europe and had my phone on airplane mode for the entire duration of both flights. Not to mention, I flew on a pretty cheaply priced ticket from Air Berlin in economy class. The service was not great, but I did not get detained.

[mars6423]

any chance your friends aren't telling the whole story and exaggerating the other passengers and FA?

[azstar]

Are you absolutely sure that the passengers behind your friends weren't making the "don't disobey the flight attendant" comment because they knew what would happen if they did and the passengers were trying to prevent your friends from getting ejected? Are you sure your friends didn't make some comment like "mind your own f***ing business" which precipitated the tirade? Hmmmmm.

[Gromit801]

Passengers don't need an FAA rulebook. All they have to do is dump their self-entitlement attitude, and follow the instructions of the flight crew. Simple beyond belief.

In this case, it was NOT a battle worth fighting at that time. One can always file complaints with the appropriate agencies at the completion of the flight. But never try to fight the battle on the plane. You will lose every single time.

[jimworcs]

Law School Student.....you seem like a reasonable guy, and accept that you were incorrect..for which credit is due, as many on here are incapable of this. However...

No FAA rulebook required... the FA's make an announcement to the effect that ALL electrical equipment must be switched off, even those with AirSafe mode. Furthermore, your proud boast that you had no problem on AirBerlin is also problematic. I have personally flown on Air Berlin and they absolutely did make an announcement telling passengers to switch off ALL electrical items.

The issue is not that they were quietly asking the FA for clarification. If they were, how did any other passengers know what was going on to yell at them? In any case, in your first post, the passengers were arguing the point with the FA and telling the FA she was incorrect. By your second post this had transformed into being "detained for asking a question". They were not detained for this... they were detained for initially refusing to carry out the FA's instruction and arguing the toss.

I hate Delta, and I find the change in attitude of power hungry FA's appalling, as they are often too thick to understand how to exercise power responsibly and with compassion. In this case however, I strongly suspect your friends are presenting a somewhat partial version of events.