Southwest boots chatty passenger

A passenger flying Southwest Airlines from Austin to Dallas this morning was removed from the flight by Dallas police upon landing after he refused to stop talking on his cell phone.

According to a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based airline, the passenger was spotted talking on his phone when the flight was about 20 minutes from landing. Several flight attendants told him multiple times that he had to turn the phone off, but he refused.

"At that point, the in-flight crew made the decision to alert the local authorities," said spokeswoman Brandy King. The talkative flier was met by police when the plane landed.

Federal aviation regulations prohibit cell phone usage during flights, a rule which is routinely stated during preflight briefings. Airlines face fines starting at $25,000 for violations, and passengers can be fined as well. Cell phone signals can interfere with communications and navigation equipment on the aircraft, and could pose a safety hazard.

King said that Southwest typically has about five cell phone-related issues a year.

- Trebor Banstetter

Comments

[huskiefan]

This is totally bogus. If cell phones were REALLY that dangerous, we would NEVER EVER be allowed to take them on board.