Why do we turn off electronic devices on airplanes?
It is against FCC regulation to operate a cell phone on board a commercial airplane in the air. Why wasn't Alec Baldwin arrested for breaking the law? Because, Baldwin was not in the air.So, to be specific, it is illegal to operate a cellphone from a commercial plane that is not touching the ground, but you can legally use a cell phone from smaller general aviation planes without a problem. There is no plausible way that a cell phone can interrupt the equipment on airplanes. They operate on entirely different frequencies. So, why commercial planes and not private planes?
It's not to fight terrorism. During the 9/11 attacks, the passengers used their cell phones to call loved ones, and it didn't do anything to the planes or to keep them from accurately hitting their targets. Trust me, Al-Qaeda is not crying in their caves because we banned cell phones after take off. Also, explosives can be triggered from many devices other than cell phones.
It's not a safety issue. It's political issue. It's creating the appearance of safety.
But what about other devices? Video games and iPods that don't send or receive signals? Why turn them off during take-off and landing? Well, honestly, I'm not sure. There is no law restricting misc. electronic device on airplanes. This seems to be an arbitrary rule enacted by the airlines. But, it's their plane and they can make any rule they want.
If you don't like it, call their customer service and file a complaint as a dissatisfied customer.
It's okay, Alec Baldwin's played a dissatisfied customer before....
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