Fine for refusal to turn off cell phone
By Saladin Xu |
August 6, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A local woman was fined 1,500 yuan (US$233) by police after she insisted on switching her cellphone to "flight mode" and started watching videos on an airplane instead of turning off the phone.
Civil Aviation authorities said that although many cellphones have a so-called flight mode, regulations still forbid the phones to be turned on during flights to avoid interference with the signaling system, according to Wuhan-based Changjiang Daily.
The woman surnamed Yang, a Shanghai white collar worker, was watching videos on her cellphone on a flight from Shenzhen to Wuhan at 1am Thursday when she was asked by the plane's crew to turn it off, the newspaper said.
Yang told the crew that she had already switched her cellphone to the flight mode, which she believed would block signals of the phone and thus have no effect on the plane's flight.
"With the flight mode switched on, I can neither receive calls nor text messages, so what trouble will it cause to the plane's signaling system?" asked Yang, who ignored the order and kept watching the videos.
Yang was sent to Wuhan police after the plane landed, as the crew members said she had severely disturbed the flight regulation and order.
The incident sparked heated discussion online, with questions centering on why phones come equipped with flight mode if it can't be used.
An engineer surnamed Wang with China Unicom's iPhone technical support hotline told Shanghai Daily that most cellphones have a flight mode, but the mode functions differently on various kinds of phones.
"Basically the mode will block a phone's signals, but some phones allow their owners to turn on Wi-Fi functions even when the flight mode is activated, while some do not," said Wang.
Civil Aviation authorities said that although many cellphones have a so-called flight mode, regulations still forbid the phones to be turned on during flights to avoid interference with the signaling system, according to Wuhan-based Changjiang Daily.
The woman surnamed Yang, a Shanghai white collar worker, was watching videos on her cellphone on a flight from Shenzhen to Wuhan at 1am Thursday when she was asked by the plane's crew to turn it off, the newspaper said.
Yang told the crew that she had already switched her cellphone to the flight mode, which she believed would block signals of the phone and thus have no effect on the plane's flight.
"With the flight mode switched on, I can neither receive calls nor text messages, so what trouble will it cause to the plane's signaling system?" asked Yang, who ignored the order and kept watching the videos.
Yang was sent to Wuhan police after the plane landed, as the crew members said she had severely disturbed the flight regulation and order.
The incident sparked heated discussion online, with questions centering on why phones come equipped with flight mode if it can't be used.
An engineer surnamed Wang with China Unicom's iPhone technical support hotline told Shanghai Daily that most cellphones have a flight mode, but the mode functions differently on various kinds of phones.
"Basically the mode will block a phone's signals, but some phones allow their owners to turn on Wi-Fi functions even when the flight mode is activated, while some do not," said Wang.
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