Man arrested for refusing to turn off phone in plane

Ever since 9/11 reshaped the way aviation security was conducted, there has been many, many more restrictions, making air travel a whole lot more troublesome than before. You now cannot carry liquids more than 100ml, you’ll have to ditch that water bottle of yours before checking in, remove your shoes and belt, and heck, in some cases, go through a full body scanner to get all your inner bits looked at.

One thing that was not allowed to happen pre-9/11, however, is the prohibition of electronic item use in flight – and that includes cell phones. It seems that a passenger on a US Southwest Airlines flight did not get the memo, as he simply refused to turn off his handset when asked to – promptly leading to his arrest once the plane landed (safely, of course).

It seemed that there was some fistcuffs going on when the aircraft was about to land at El Paso, Texas, and he refused to comply with the request to turn off the phone. Police handled the situation after the plane landed, while conducting with witnesses on board to verify the story.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Cellphones, Transportation
Tags: phone, plane