“All kinds of folks are getting kicked off planes these days,” Yoni Heisler reports for iOnApple. “Days after two RIM employees were kicked off of a plane for creating a drunken raucous, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin was removed from an American Airlines flight himself on Tuesday at LAX.”
“The plane was at the gate and not moving, so Baldwin decided it’d be a good idea to get in a few rounds of ‘Words with Friends,'” Heisler reports. “Apparently a flight attendant didn’t take to kindly to Baldwin still using his iPhone, prompting the flight attendant to ‘ream’ him out. Shortly thereafter, Baldwin was asked to leave the airplane.”
Heisler reports, “Baldwin spokesman Matthew Hitzik added, ‘He loves `Words with Friends’ so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it.'”
Read more in the full article here.
It must get terribly boring playing that game against yourself
I play Words With Friends, Chess With Friends, and Hanging With Friends.
I’m a great opponent!
Hit me up for a game! 😉
Game ID: TheConfuzed1
I am “The Zorro”, challenge me if you dare!
The report (CNN I think) I had read earlier said it was an iPad he was trotting.
A case of the iPad trots?
I thing you meant “toting”.
Didn’t Alec once play a man with brains on TV?
I have to respect for such a pompous f^#*. First he is so full of himself he things that FAA regulations ( which are in place for safety), then he claims that song is worth missing a flight for… well la di da must be nice to have so much money you can waste it stupidly. … his attitude teaches people its okay to ignore the safety of those around you, and makes people who don’t know better think that kind of financial disregard is totally fine… Totally ignorant.
I pity the generation growing up now to have cum-rags like him as an influence.
+1
Oh come off it, mate. The only ignorant one in this conversation is you, if you really think a cell phone is endangering anyone. I leave my phone on, in my pocket, during every flight I’ve ever been on (as do most people if I had to guess) and I’ve never descended into the ocean in ball of fiery wreckage.
The type of person who rants in the way you do about nothing, is the type of person that is critical of everyone and makes themselves feel better by judging others behavior. Plus, using terms like cum-rag is a great influence for the younger generations.
1
Song? Huh?
Well, you sure won’t inspire the next generation with your potty mouth!
“Totally ignorant.”
That sums up your post. The plane was on the ground. No one was in any danger from him using his electronic device. From this story, we really don’t have enough other details to know if he was the victim of an overzealous flight attendant or if he was being a jerk.
Song? What are you talking about?
“his attitude”? Where is his attitude discussed?
Sounds to me that you are more angry that he didn’t have to crap his pants over a potentially losing his plane fare (which we do not actually know for sure) than anything else.
spoken like the true ass-kissin’ sheeple you are…ja wohl Herr Nikon!
ve haf vays of making you turn-off der iPhone, young American lieutenant! – Reichsmarshal Nikon Fox.
Nice name calling and vulgarity, certainly future generations have much to learn from you.
The fact is those FAA cellphone rules have about as much to do with safety as the TSA security theatre before you get on the plane. ZERO..
When will the airlines admit that our portable electronic devices have no effect on their equipment? I have yet to be allowed to keep my iPhone out during takeoff and landing while it is “Airplane mode”. Isn’t that why Apple created it?
And if their excuse is that they can’t tell that your device is in airplane mode, doesn’t that prove your point? If these devices cause such horrific interference, surely they could wave a wand at you and know your device is on.
——RM
then they could see your iPhone’s privates!
This is true. There has never been a single instance of consumer electronics having interfered with a plane on takeoff, landing or inflight. The precautions the airlines take has more in common with ignorant superstition than any real evidence of potential problems. They need to be called on it and knock it off.
Were the airlines to get some common sense about electronics, the next thing you know they would be demanding that the TSA goon squad change its abusive treatment of airline customers.
Cubert,
I can see your point and it makes sense but…..
They own the planes they have the right to make up whatever silly rules they want. Logic doesn’t have to come into play.
One of my favorite stories I tell my children was when I worked for my father. One day I was arguing with some managers about stupid things that made no sense and he called me into his office. Once there he walked me outside and had me look at his store sign. He asked me what it said and it had his name on it. I read it and then he proceeded to tell me that, “the day your name is on that fu$king sign has your name on it then you can make the rules, until then it’s my way and it will always be my way, got it?”
Right/wrong or logic sometimes really doesn’t mean shit.
That was suppose to say, “the day your name is on that fu$king sign then you can make the rules, until then it’s my way and it will always be my way, got it?”
Oops.
lol we might be brothers Observer, my dad told me almost the same line.
It worked, I got it.
I know. Screw that logic shit.
Come on Cubert That’s an apocraphyl story that has been sround since I was a kid. It didn’t happen to you. I will say that old man Dillard of the Dillard’s Department Store chain would push his weight around by saying, “Who’s name is that on that building?”
the rules are there to get people to secure their devices so there is no chance they can fly around the cabin. they know some tough guys will say they’ll always be able to keep a hold on their phone no matter what, so they say it can screw up the flight
Imagine if just one airline announced that they will allow electronic devices to remain switched on throughout an entire flight, on every flight. Imagine all the passengers that would instantly value that as the most important factor in choosing an airline. Why is the profit motive so weak in the face of such ignorant, superstitious thinking about electronics.
By the way, phones are not allowed during any flight, but NO electronics of any kind are allowed during take-off and landing. Turning on Airplane Mode puts your iPhone temporarily into the “non-phone electronic” category, which is why it still must be off during take-off and landing. But, again, the whole thing is stupid anyway. There’s no evidence.
Now just imagine if Apple got into the airline biz, maybe buyout American Airlines, Change it to AppleAir, or maybe iAir…. of course then they could make up a rule that only Androids and other knock-offs can not even be on board at all. They would have all my flights, no-brainer.
The only actual argument the airlines have on their side is that it is ‘possible’ for a maliciously configured electronic device to mess with critical radio frequencies used by the pilots and ground crew.
I believe it makes them feel more comfortable having told everyone to turn off ‘everything’ for takeoff and landing.
FAA regulations regarding portable electronics are laughable. If the danger was real, Al-Qaeda would be bringing down planes left and right with smartphones.
“Oh my God… THAT MAN’S PLAYING ANGRY BIRDS! HE’LL KILL US ALL!”
“Hey! Psst! I dare you to send a text while we’re taking off!” “No way, man! I’m not suicidal!”
Bombs, guns, knives, nail clippers, toothpaste, all these deadly hijacker tools are forbidden from airplanes. But cellphones and laptops, which supposedly can cause a flight to end in a SCREAMING PILE OF BURNING METAL AND JET FUEL if used during takeoff, are perfectly okay. Good to know.
Give. Me. A. Break.
I was once on a plane where the workaholic woman sitting next to me refused to close her laptop while the plane took off. No one bothered her, and guess what? I’m still here.
Airline employees, the FAA, and TSA need to stop drinking the stupid juice.
——RM
The bitch should have been tossed out on her ear….
Been flying for so many years. I use ‘airplane ” mode. I agree that our consumer electronics are “not” dangerous because there is no documented flight crashes that has occurred.
Good Rules/regulations are OK.
Not OK if it does not make sense and for the sake of power trips for a few!
Take a chill pill guys. This story is not 100% true. I’d expect more screening from you MDN! While he was violating FAA regulations (doesn’t matter what they are, they are the RULES! so obey them), he didn’t ask to be removed, he was REMOVED from the plane by the Captain for being belligerent (go figure, Alec Baldwin belligerent. haha…never!) to the staff and slamming doors. Basically, other passengers, including Oscar De Lehoya, who was on the same flight, all said Alec was at fault. So get over slamming the FAA, the flight attendants, AA, etc. and realize, it’s often the ahole on the plane that’s at fault.
THIS.
There were other people on the plane saying he was on the phone…. NOT playing a game, the game is what was his press release said.
He locked himself in te bathroom before he was booted off the plane also.
Are we so damned important or so addicted to our cellphgones that we cannot turn them off for 15 frikken minutes? Even if there is minor interference it is better safe than sorry. We really do live in a self-centered society.
+1
You are so right, we all live in a self-centered society.
Maybe the ban of electronic devices is moronic but those are they rules and we must honor the rules.
Are they moronic? Ok, fight in the court for it, not at a plane.
Shit happens®, more than we want to…
Baldwin is just the 1%’er Hollywood s hi t that thinks rules doesn’t apply to HIM!
Maybe he was on his way back to Canada – the place he said he would move to if Bush was elected.
/shows self out
Yeah, Bush did a lot of good, didn’t he? Can’t believe there were enough idiots to re-elect that man.
I bet you are just smart enough to re-elect our current president… he’s doing a great deal of good for our country in the last three years hasn’t he? We need more of his hope and change… not… And given what he put out in Kansas last night… can’t wait for four more years of that!
Whatever. Seems likemyounwere smart enough to elect Bush twice so good on ya. Right….
Whatever. Seems like you were smart enough to elect Bush twice, so good on ya. That needless war in Iraq? It ends this year. Get it?
That wasn’t Baldwin who said that.
If anyone actually believed that there was any risk associated with cellphones on planes, would anyone fly?
Apparently there is no proven danger with electronic devices….yet.
But, given his past history, if Alec Baldwin does ANYTHING, the rest of us can safely assume that it is stupid, and therefore dangerous.
Actually, according to a friend who is a very senior pilot for a major American airline, there is a sound basis for the FAA rule. As I recall what he said, it turns out that some airplanes (especially older equipment) use wireless fire warning sensors throughout the plane and the frequency they use is close to or identical to frequencies emitted by some cell phones, hence the problem is that in the cockpit the pilots may see false fire alarm indications generated by those phones. This apparently was a substantial problem with earlier aircraft and earlier cell phones. The FAA did not make the rules just for the heck of it. They made the rule because there was a problem, and they made a rule to solve it. I am sure that going forward, as cell phones and fire warning systems work out their problems through compliance with relevant standards, the rule will be relaxed. On a related note, I believe some airlines have already applied for regulatory relief of phone use in flight (for actually making calls) but many passengers are very wary of having a seat mate in a heated business discussion or in a very personal conversation with a mistress, etc. In my opinion, air travel in the back of the plane is miserable enough as is, we don’t need to take it down another level.
BullShi*T
The rule, as I understand it, is more about having everyone’s attention in case there is an emergency.
As someone mentioned, we are really living in a self-absorbed society, particularly when it comes to our devices we can phase out the world around us.
If a FA, or the Captain or Co-Pilot needs you to do something, and it’s usually pretty quickly when an emergency happens on a plane, your focus is, I don’t know, kind of important wouldn’t you think.
So, Alec made a big mistake, and got kicked off the flight. He’s not the first, and he won’t be the last.
And for those ‘defying’ the rules by leaving your cell phone on just to be a jerk, you really are only killing your battery for nothing. Again, a self absorbed society is what we’ve devolved into.
Actually, I’m not killing my battery for nothing. I can still send and receive text messages and emails covertly. And I’m not leaving it on, just to be a jerk. I’m leaving it on because turning it off is extremely inconvenient and unnecessary, therefore I choose to leave it on.
Again, I think it is sound reasoning that, because I have left my phone on and used it during flight, to no ill effect, that there is no inherent danger, at all, with my using a phone during a flight.
Secondly, if the reason for turning off the phone was so that people could react quickly, then explain why alcohol is served? Last time I checked, Jack and Coke has never helped anyone respond to anything more quickly.
Nice rationalization…so perhaps you know for sure that 1 phone does not provide sufficient interference but what about 100 phones.
And you you are leaving it on because you are a jerk. Good thing you were never sitting beside me because I would show you a great iPhone cover that you could not buy in stores (however it does make it uncomfortable to sit down).
Like, I said before, I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of people didn’t leave their phones on during a flight. Don’t you think If there was a real risk to human life and multimillion dollar aircraft that airline would do more than simply ask passengers to turn off phones. If our lives were truly in danger there would be some sort of procedure to ensure that absolutely no phones were on. But they don’t, hence my rationalization stands.
The iPhone cover you speak of can be bought, but I’m sure you could never afford it.
Why do you make such assumptions? What hard ‘data’ do you possess that others don’t. Like myself and others have mentioned, perhaps there are other reasons for this…like too many phones at once could cause interference. Remember those old videos of 4 cell phones popping corn?
Are you the type of person that chats (not hi, yes, goodbye conversations) in restaurants during eating on the phone? That walks down a corridor bumping into people while texting? That chats on the phone pressed to their ear while driving?
I do not understand this, I got to use it at all times at any cost-type attitude. It seems to me a gross lack consideration for others which is becoming the trend in modern society.
what’s wrong with self-absorption?
rather sit by someone on a plane playing WordsWithFriends than someone that won’t shut their fucking mouth for two hours.
Alec Baldwin? I don’t care. 🙄
All you guys claiming there’s “no evidence” that consumer electronics interfere with avionics, let’s see your electrical engineering degrees and your employment history at Boeing or Airbus. Where’d you get your certitude? Oh, that’s right, you pulled it from your inconvenience-avoidance sphincter. If there’s any delay or problem on the flight caused by some self-indulgent OCD twit, I vote that the culprit should be ejected from the plane AFTER takeoff.
Cell phone use is not permitted during takeoff and landing so that people pay attention in case of an emergency. It has nothing to do with interference. It used to, but when FAA and stakeholders learned that cell phones don’t cause problems, the rule remained but the rationale was changed.
Nikonfox is still an idiot.
I think Baldwin’s problem is he has become the persona that he protrays so well. That is, the arrogant, self centered celebrity that has his head so far up his kiester that everyone around him suffers. Life imitating art. Baldwin needs to protray a kindly priest or a pediatric doctor to bring him back to earth.
One time, I read on another website he was playing against Obama….yeah, I don’t know.