Airline Attendent would not let Kindle go into seat pocket, had to go on floor

[rho]

I was on a flight and a Kindle from a row or two back came sliding up the floor to my row on landing. I don't know how the person had "stowed" it but it wasn't secure. With some of the recent severe flight turbulence issues, I can see why flight attendants ask it to be removed from pockets if they see it.

it was probably at the persons feet like they told the op - - I would put it in my bag that I put under the seat - I would be afraid I would forget it if I put it in the seat thing anyway -

edited to add -- with my luck if I put it at my feet I would step on it ...

[suicidepact]

I finally had an attendant ask me to turn my K2 off for take off on my last flight from Tokyo. I just pointed to where the wireless indicator says says 'OFF" and told her it was off. She accepted that and moved on. If I was asked to put my K2 under my seat I would say it would break and insist on putting it in my bag in the overhead.

[Leslie]

Quote: "FAA reg says you are not to have anything "hard" in the seat back pocket.  If things go very very bad, they can come out and be projectiles to injure people."

And then, Quote:"I think the rule is as foolish as the no matches/lighters, random bag search or 3oz. per liquid container rules.  So, I don't necessarily comply. "

I can only say wow to that comment.

Some of us are minor rebels. Major rebels blow up buildings. Minor rebels leave their Kindles on during take off and landing. What can I say? We all need to assert our individualism every now and then.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

^^^  Well, and I have to say, if things go "very very bad", the fact that a Kindle might become a projectile is, perhaps, the least of one's worries.    Still, I say:  better to put it in a personal travel bag. . . then, assuming you survive the "very very bad", with luck it will as well. . . .

And, if not, at least you have something to send back to Amazon.

[DailyLunatic]

Quote: "FAA reg says you are not to have anything "hard" in the seat back pocket.  If things go very very bad, they can come out and be projectiles to injure people."

I've always been a Boy Scout when it comes to rules, but...

How is a hard object laying loose on the floor between my feet safer than it is in a spring loaded seat pocket?

[suicidepact]

Amen to that. I always take all the junk magazines they put in the seat pocket -minus the safety instructions- and put them in the overhead or in the galley, so usually my K2 will fit in there anyway.

[ReconDelta]

"How is a hard object laying loose on the floor between my feet safer than it is in a spring loaded seat pocket?"

Certainly no physicist, but I think due to several reasons.   Most harmful turbulence would be mostly a verticle force not horizontal.   So a device in a seat back would fall "up" while if under the seat it would be stopped by the seat.   

Additionally if I store a Kindle (not been flying since I bought mine) under my seat it would be in a brief case or bag, not laying in the open.  I learned the hard way to place books in a case when I had one slide forward several rows once during landing. 

The recent Continental flight that experienced turbulance dropped several hundred feet causing passengers not buckled in hit their heads on the ceiling, then fell back to their seats.   A Kindle in a seat back wouldn't be good for the Kindle or the passengers.   

Certainly not every situation would meet this criteria but I feel the seat back versus under the seat is similar to the argument used by some that a vehicle seatbelt could kill me if it gets stuck in a vehicle fire, etc.   Yes that is true if somehow a seat belt became stuck in a rare mishap you could burn alive in a vehicle fire.  Yet the odds tell me you're more likely to die if you're thrown through the windshield; headfirst in a a very common frontal impact.

[jgirvine]

Let me ask you this guys, do you know that if an FAA inspector is riding on a plane  that he can do a "personal fine" against a flight attendant that does not tell a passenger they are violating an FAA rule? 

[The Atomic Bookworm]

Let me ask you this guys, do you know that if an FAA inspector is riding on a plane  that he can do a "personal fine" against a flight attendant that does not tell a passenger they are violating an FAA rule?  

Are you asking if this is true, or are you establishing that this is true and phrasing it in an "did you know that..." manner?

And a reminder to the "minor rebels" on the board: there are Air Marshalls in flights all over the country, the odds are that you've flown in a plane with one and not know it, and they can arrest you for your "minor act of rebellion" because you failed to obey the instructions of the flight attendant.

[Ruby296]

And a reminder to the "minor rebels" on the board: there are Air Marshalls in flights all over the country, the odds are that you've flown in a plane with one and not know it, and they can arrest you for your "minor act of rebellion" because you failed to obey the instructions of the flight attendant.

Yes, this is very true.  On one of our flights home from FL in Feb. my dh and one daughter's seats were moved so the 2 air marshalls could sit together (as told by the flight attendant). And on my flight from San Francisco to Dulles in May there were 2 AM's in the cabin I was in.  They are everywhere nowadays.

[Magenta]

On a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Phoenix today I turned off the Kindle and put it into the seat pocket in front of me.  The Flight Attendant told me books and such must be on the floor or in the overhead and not in the pocket.  I told her I travel lots and this is the first time I have heard of such a thing, she and her partner replied that it is a FAA rule and you can have nothing in those pockets.

So my poor Kindle sat between my feet on talkoff, on landing I hid it next to me on my seat.

Has anyone else every been told to remove books or Kindle's from the pocket?

I would have then handed her all the material the airline placed in the seat pocket.  Sorry, but this was just a very misinformed flight attendant. 

[jaylynn]

I also noticed, in the last few weeks, that on two of the six flights I took on various airlines, people were asked to remove things from the seat pocket, but only during takeoff and landing.  These included bottles of water and books.  After takeoff, it didn't matter what people put in the pockets. 

I also saw an attendant ask very nicely that a dog in a carrier be put under the window, not the aisle seat, as part of an FAA regulation.  I can see why-- if there was an emergency, I think a dog would be better off a little farther away from the aisle.  The people who owned the dog were butts about it and were rude to her. It's a hard job, imo.

[Ms Deb]

I always hold my Kindle during takeoff and landing.  Most of the time I am reading it.  I have only been asked once to turn it off - I closed the cover briefly then resumed reading once the flight attendant sat down for takeoff.  It never occurs to me to put anything but trash in the front pockets - I would forget it was there and leave without it.  I have had a Kindle of some version since the first day they shipped, and I fly a lot, so I guess I have been lucky with flight attendants.

[ak rain]

you get a lot more help from a happy attendants with that in mind I ask the rebals to be carefull please.
I have also found real nasty stuff in the seat pockets I would avoid those
sylvia

[happyblob]

"How is a hard object laying loose on the floor between my feet safer than it is in a spring loaded seat pocket?"

Certainly no physicist, but I think due to several reasons.   Most harmful turbulence would be mostly a verticle force not horizontal.   So a device in a seat back would fall "up" while if under the seat it would be stopped by the seat.   

Additionally if I store a Kindle (not been flying since I bought mine) under my seat it would be in a brief case or bag, not laying in the open.  I learned the hard way to place books in a case when I had one slide forward several rows once during landing.

The recent Continental flight that experienced turbulance dropped several hundred feet causing passengers not buckled in hit their heads on the ceiling, then fell back to their seats.   A Kindle in a seat back wouldn't be good for the Kindle or the passengers.

May not be a physicist but certainly a master of air safety and statistical dynamics of coherent structures.

[Anju No. 469]

I have not flown since I got my kindle, well I take that back, when I first got it and came home, but have not flown since then.  I always wear a fanny pack, or a small over the shoulder bag snugged under my seat belt.  I have thought about what I would do with my kindle when I do fly again, and I would probably put it in my shoulder bag, or be sure to have a fanny pack big enough to hold it.



modified to add - thanks for the info jgirvine, it's nice to have "official" info.

[DailyLunatic]

Certainly no physicist, but I think due to several reasons.   Most harmful turbulence would be mostly a verticle force not horizontal.   So a device in a seat back would fall "up" while if under the seat it would be stopped by the seat.

...and I haven't played one on TV, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.   

Look, I could see your argument better if the seat pocket were just a slot with no retaining ability.  i.e. everything in it could slide out if tipped upside down.  However, all the seat pockets I have ever seen were spring loaded and hug the contents rather firmly.  I see a much more likely danger with water bottles, Kindles, books, shoes, DSi's, etc being loose and taking a weird spin during moderate to high turbulence than I do with those same objects, in the same conditions, but confined.  More importantly, the stories of objects sliding several rows in this thread alone testify to the fact that the forces under discussion are not a simple inversion of gravity as you seem to feel.

Its moot anyway.  I'm not the rebel type.  I'm going to smile and do what the lady asks regardless.  Most people, maybe not Kindle owners, will simply drop the hard object on the floor, loose, to shut her up.  I simply feel this regulation, as stated, will cause more injury than it will prevent by creating more loose objects that can lead to injury.

Sterling
92.5% Pure

[jazzi]

I was on a flight and a Kindle from a row or two back came sliding up the floor to my row on landing.

Congratulations on the new kindle!

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

The Kindle is a hard plastic/metal device that if it became airborne during a rough landing/take-off it could kill someone (especially a DX).   With the rash of recent airline issues, I am personally happy the airline is monitoring people so closely.  If a Kindle hit me over the head because some moron decided they were too good to properly store their device, I would be quite angry.   If it hit my two year old, their kindle would get shoved up their personal seat back, sideways.

Society as a whole needs to STOP with the ME and think about the whole.   I'm the guy who starts with dirty looks, then proceeds to walk over to chat with the cell phone talker who continues on AFTER being told to turn off their phones.   Trust me you're not that important your call can wait.   Also, your kid will remember to turn the VCR on to record the 4:30 Oprah without you reminding her.

So please do everyone a favor and just turn off the Kindle, cell phone, and other electronic devices, for the 20 minutes at take off and landing.  

 

Quoted for truth.  People can't see beyond their own wants.

[duck833]

Flew again on Sunday, Allegiant this time.  They fly MD80's.  The hard plastic seat pocket in front does not expand, only big enough for their magazines and safety information and a couple of barf bags.  No room for a book, water bottle or a Kindle.  Seems they solved the problem.

[ProfCrash]

I flew this weekend. I was not asked to turn off my Kindle so I continued reading. I don't put Tavar in the seat back pocket, I would be worried about leaving him, I put him in my bag under the seat when I am not reading.

When asked to turn off my Kindle, I do. When the attendants are seated, I will pull it out and read. I did have a flight attendant tell people that they could not use "Flight Attendant reducing headsets" during take off and landing. That she would try and keep announcements short but that people needed to be able to hear her in case of emergency. It made me smile. So I did use the headsets (they reduce noise but I can hold a normal conversation, I just don't hear the engines as badly) but I did not turn on my IPod until we were cleared to do so.

Call me a rebel if you will. I know that Tavar uses a small amount of energy when changing pages. I know my noise reducing headsets allow me to hold a normal conversation and hear people. Neither of which endangers me or anyone else around me. I do not give the Flight Attendant a hard time if asked to turn them off and put them away. But I don't wait for clearance to turn them back on.

[Ashleym]

Let me ask you this guys, do you know that if an FAA inspector is riding on a plane  that he can do a "personal fine" against a flight attendant that does not tell a passenger they are violating an FAA rule? 

What jgirvine wants people to know is that if a FAA inflight inspector is on board and a flight attendant did not perform all the rules and regulation required that individual Attendant could be fined some fines could be in the thousands of dollars.  I know this because I was a flight attendant for Continental Airlline for 2 years and United for 11 years.  Individual Flight attendant do not make up the rules FAA does and not just to make peoples lives miserable.  There is a reason for each rules they enforce and if they dont catch you being that "rebel" good for you hope you dont get hurt or hurt someone else on that flight.  I personnally appreciate all the work a Flight Attendant does as server, customer service, police officer, nurse, doctor, firefighter, and last line of defense against someone trying  to get thru that cockpit door.  Unfortunatly most people only see them as waiters in the sky hopefully they never will need them to perform CPR or get them thru an emergency.  Just my 2cent

[LindaW]

As someone who loves to fly - but hates take off and landing - I just keep everything put away, except my rosary beads. LOL!  Seriously though, my stomach is always in such a knot during those times that I can't even concentrate. I don't even bother to pull out any reading material until I'm well in the clouds.

[Hopeful76]

I just took a trip by plane, flew last Wednesday and back yesterday (Monday).   On both trips I was told to turn my Kindle off during takeoff and landing, but was allowed to put it in the seat pocket.

For the flight attendants here, is the Kindle considered one of the devices that must be shut off during takeoff and landing?  I always comply (too easy going to be a rebel), but was curious if having it on (with wireless off) would cause any problems.

[Ashleym]

I just took a trip by plane, flew last Wednesday and back yesterday (Monday).   On both trips I was told to turn my Kindle off during takeoff and landing, but was allowed to put it in the seat pocket.

For the flight attendants here, is the Kindle considered one of the devices that must be shut off during takeoff and landing?  I always comply (too easy going to be a rebel), but was curious if having it on (with wireless off) would cause any problems.

Hi Hopeful anything with a off and on switch has to be turned off for take off, landing and taxi.  Wireless has to be turned off at all stages of flight.  All items should be placed under the seat or in the overhead even tho the Kindle is slim it does have a hard case and can cause injury if it does come out of the seat back due to hard landing, turbulance.  Can you imagin the corner of the kindle hitting you upside the head that would hurt.  Most times a Flight attendant wont even notice the Kindle since it is so slim in the seat pocket but its always a good idea to place the kindle under the seat in a bag.