Planes and Cellphones

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Current mood: annoyed
Category: Travel and Places

So i just went on a business trip up to Johannesburg. Of course this means dealing with airports, planes and seriously testing your tolerance when it comes to fellow human beings!
There were many moments to test the above, like being delayed and sitting in the airport or on the runway, or being squished between a guy that reeked of too much fragrance and one that didnt know how to use it at all, leaving my fav jersery in the hire car and being stuck in the boarding area....but the part that i found the most amazing and annoying was the use of cellphones.
Now dont get me wrong - i'm definitely not one of those people that hate cellphones and cant tolerate the use of them in a public space or hate friends or people in my company answering their phone. I'm the complete opposite. I admit that I am one of those people that are addicted to my phone and will not be without it at hand. It is known by my friends that I will always answer my phone as it is with me 24 hours a day and never off.
So now that we have that cleared up I have to say that people are insane when it comes to their phones and flying! They do have the place and time and when you are all being like a herd of turtles, getting on and off of planes it is not the time to be still making calls and playing with your cellphone. Ok so maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but to me once you are on the plane the phone must be off and must remain off until the plane doors are open ...well that what we are told over and over again by the annoying voice coming out to us over the speakers.
But no there are still people who think this must be nonsense so they continue calls once on the plane and are already turning them on as soon as the plane touches the tarmac. I'm am amazed and shocked at people. What is 10 mins to wait until you are out of the plane, I mean it was only 2 hours that the phone was off!
Then to really knock me out of my seat there was a gentleman (to be replaced with a much more appropriate word) sitting a few seats along who while we are taxiing on the runway for take off answers his ringing phone!!! and then leaves it on for the entire flight. And almost 2 minutes later another phone rings somewhere and goes unanswered and then rings again.
So correct me if I"m wrong but in my mind there is a reason for the rules and regulations that make us turn our phones off...i'm sure it isnt just to create trouble for us or to annoy us. Is it not that they create electronic interference and could lead to the planes instruments fucking up and causing us to crash ?!?!
So there i am sitting and thinking of this all as my blood pressure goes up and my ulcer starts to make its presence known and commiting the guys face to memory vowing that if we crash and survive I'm going to seek him out and kill him myself ....
Ok so not that bad - but you are getting the picture of my annoyance!