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by cherokee316 from Independence,Mo.

Last Post 5 days, 21 hours Ago


Cellphone citation
May 13, 2008 | 10:34 AM
Category: News
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Austin man ticketed for using cell phone during flight An associate said the man forgot to turn his phone off and received a message that his father was in dire health.

By Miguel Liscano
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Dallas police ticketed a Southwest Airlines passenger Monday morning after he refused to stop talking on his cell phone during a flight from Austin to Dallas, an airline spokeswoman said.

Flight attendants asked Joe David Jones, 50, president of Austin environmental technology company Skyonic Corp., to put away his phone after they noticed him using it during the flight's descent, Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said.

An associate of Jones said he refused because Jones had received a message that his father was in dire health.

Police were called to meet flight 958 at Love Field when it landed, King said. Jones was ticketed on a disorderly conduct charge, a class C misdemeanor that carries up to a $500 fine, a Dallas police spokeswoman said.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations bar cell phone use on planes because it could interfere with the flight's navigation system, King said. She said airlines can be fined at least $25,000 for allowing cell phone use during flights.

"He was clear on the regulation; he just chose not to abide by the request," King said.

Jones had forgotten to turn off his phone during takeoff and received the message about his father as the plane moved closer to Dallas, said Mark Clayton, Skyonic's vice president of corporate relations.

"His father's heart had stopped," Clayton said. "The cardiac unit requested a call immediately to discuss decisions regarding his father's immediate care.

"So Mr. Jones attempted to call them back. And it took several tries.

"He expresses regret for the inconvenience that it caused the airline and its passengers, but he felt compelled because of the life and death nature of it to make that call."

According to a police report, Jones was on his cell phone for about 20 minutes at the end of the flight.

The report said Jones, when asked to turn his phone off, responded with an obscenity.

Clayton said Jones did not mention what was said by him and the flight attendants during the incident.

Jones was unavailable for comment Monday because he was on his way to be with his father, Clayton said.

Skyonic specializes in cleaning emissions from coal-fired power plants, Clayton said.

mliscano@statesman.com; 445-3629

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Member Comments Total Comments: 12
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jpbikerfreak read my blog view my photos
May 13, 2008 | 11:49 AM

I don't believe there has EVER been a SHRED of evidence suggesting cell phones actually have interfered or even could interfere with any aviation equipment.
Calco read my blog view my photos
May 13, 2008 | 12:00 PM

Mythbusters did this one, the airlines wants you to use the airephones with your credit card.
But I do think if your ask to do something like turn off your phone while on an airplane, that you should atleast turn it to silent mode and put it away so you dont scare anyone else on the plane that might not be so bright.
rockslide read my blog
May 13, 2008 | 12:34 PM

There were some issues years ago with older cell phone technology. Kind of like the same no cells in hospitals policies the newer phones do not interupt anything.

But at the same time it is the law and the guy broke it, plain and simple. Even if your wife is dying and you are driving to the hospital technically you are not allowed to break the speedlimit or drive through lights.

The was an arrogant a--hole who thought he was above the system. He could have simply told the attendant his situation. The whole kiss my A S S was obnoxious and unneccesary.
jpbikerfreak read my blog view my photos
May 13, 2008 | 1:09 PM

I agree guys, I'm not trying to stick up for the guy, just my usual de-bunking.
mnaines read my blog view my photos
May 13, 2008 | 4:55 PM

There are signs at post offices now that say "No Cell Phone Use At Counter", and if you're caught talking on the cell phone at the checkout counter, you will be asked to step out of line and let others go first, then once you are off the phone, you have to get at the back of the line and start over.

The way I see it is this: Unless its an absolute emergency, stay off the damn phone. Not only is it annoying (I don't want to be standing in the middle of the grocery store shopping for my dinner and listening to you talk about what you did with your husband or wife the night before), its also rude (the cashier is trying to get your items checked out and get you out of the store so you can be on your way; you yapping on the phone makes it harder for them to do their jobs) and its not safe (a cell phone in one hand and the gearshift in the other...Come on, people, did you forget everything you learned in Driver's Ed?).
mabell read my blog
May 13, 2008 | 5:08 PM

mnaines, I couldn't agree with you more. Why anyone has to use a cell phone while shopping, eating out or driving is beyond me. There can't be that many emergencies in a person's life. How about all the "soccer moms", in their SUVs full of kids, one hand on the steering wheel while gabbing on her cell phone and paying absolutely no attention to vehicles around her?
A woman hit my husband because she had dropped her cell phone and took her eyes off of the road while she retrieved it. In that split second she hit the rear end of his truck broadside on the passenger's side. He wasn't hurt but it did over $5000 worth of damage to the Silverado. Oh, BTW, she didn't have insurance.
He2Funny read my blog
May 14, 2008 | 7:17 AM

This is an interesting story. First off, his phone should've been off to begin with. Now I dont know because its never happened to me, but if I just so happened to glance down at my cell phone during flight and saw a text message that my mom or dad was dying and had heart failure, it would be a crazy situation. I wouldnt know what to do, honestly I would be scared and maybe text them back but it wouldnt be worth risking everyone and my life on the plane if it did happen to crash.

But I understand the situation both ways, but he didnt need to be on the phone for 20 minutes, there's nothing he can do on the phone to save his dad.

Now, about the cellphone in grocery stores or public... This is one of those, it is what it is type of dilemma's. Mnaines, I dont know what you mean by what someone did with their husband of wife the night before, but I dont think its that serious. It may just be a problem with the people that may just be irritated with people on cellphones. Cellphobia or something. I know I talk on mine a lot, I get calls that are important whether it be setting up a show or sharing ideas, and during that span on one call, I've went from the gas station, to the bank, to Wal-Mart and Subway and I'm still talking and hadnt missed a beat. I'm not a loud talker at all, and I am sure no one can hear my conversation, but I figure people feel its an inconvenience and some people cant multi-task while talking on the phone.

Hey, I even typed this while talking on the phone. LoL!
mnaines read my blog view my photos
May 14, 2008 | 5:21 PM

I am not really irritated by people talking on their cell phones. I just don't see any point of spending an hour on the cell phone when it takes five minutes to do the same thing over email or a website.
Busybee read my blog
May 14, 2008 | 7:00 PM

People should use courtesy when using their cell phones. Oops, forgot. Some people don't know the meaning of that word. :) I call my daughter on her land line and if her daughter (my granddaughter) calls and gets a busy signal, she calls her moms cell. I'm asked to hold and sometimes the conversation begins to get lengthy so I hang up! My daughter calls me later and I just tell her (sweetly) that it must have been very important, so I decided to let her just call me back later. A couple of times doing this and that nonsense stopped. :)
It's called respect, I think. :)
Jordan read my blog
May 14, 2008 | 7:51 PM

The cell phone situation has gotten out of hand and is getting worse everyday. I don’t care if you think you can “multitask” I don’t what you doing it while driving a car that I’m sharing the road with. I want you to have 100% of your attention on your driving. Don’t tell me that’s its no different than talking to a passenger in the car. A passenger has something a cell phone doesn’t have—two eyes. The passenger can help you watch the road and warn of a danger that you might not see, a cell phone can’t do that. Also, recent studies are starting to show that drivers on cell phones exhibit some of the very same behavior and dangers while driving as do drunk drivers. There are far more serious and deadly accidents occurring where cell phones are involved than are being reported to the public. I wish some of the TV stations would start following and videotaping drivers on cell phones so these people can see how well they aren’t driving.
Busybee read my blog
May 15, 2008 | 7:20 AM

I don't use my cell when driving unless absolutely necessary (for directions, etc.) I see people reading, using laptops, putting on makeup, shaving, etc. and that is equally as dangerous! Get ready for work, or wherever you are going, before you leave home! As you say, when driving. your full attention needs to be on the road. Have a great day. :)
mnaines read my blog view my photos
May 15, 2008 | 6:27 PM

I saw one guy yesterday who had a newspaper propped against the steering wheel and a mug of hot coffee in one hand...How he was driving and controlling the stick-shift was beyond me. Its called "Get up earlier", but oh, wait, you can't do that because you go to bed too late at night. And there was another lady who I saw racing 100mph down the highway and running everyone else off the road while she put on makeup using the mirror in her sun visor.
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cherokee316

Over the hill and going up the next one,and after reading many of the politically motivated blogs here I just want to say,an airplane can't fly with just one wing whether it be right wing or a left wing it will just fly in circles like a dog chasing its tail.

Member Since: 2/4/2007


 

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