Alec Baldwin kicked off plane for playing with his phone

Alec Baldwin claimed he was booted off a plane at Los Angeles international airport yesterday, after a flight attendant complained about him playing with a game on his mobile phone. The 30 Rock star, who was hoping to fly to New York on an American Airlines plane, took to his Twitter account to moan about his ejection from the …

[Anonymous Coward]

Grrrr

I get so frustrated and annoyed by those who play with their electronic toys on flights in the pre-takeoff, pre-and-post-landing phase.

The primary reason for the rule is one of safety. But there's another aspect - crowd control. When you're in a tight cabin with no legroom and the plane is going nowhere then EVERYBODY is going to be frustrated. Mix that in with tsk tsk tsk or beep beep beep and you're going to push some people over the edge.

Alec Baldwin would be on the end of my fist if I cross his path. Unless he has an electrical engineering degree, like me, or is an experienced aeronautics designer or pilot, then he has no place determining what is and isn't safe as far as use of electronic devices on a flight.

People are idiots. The number of people smoking a cigarette with the window down as they drive into the local Tesco fuel station really bothers me.

[ArmanX]

On the one hand...

Alec Baldwin was an idiot for not turning off his phone. It's a rule, and the flight attendants are only enforcing that rule. Better to turn off your game until the plane is in the air.

On the other hand... the rules are beyond stupid, and as a fellow electrical engineer, you should know that. If any system is so poorly shielded that a cell phone can throw it off, what about all the other radiating devices? Digital watches, laptops on stand-by, children's toys - anything with electricity 'radiates', and could possibly interfere. Yet while no one would bother a kid with blinking shoes, someone reading a Kindle will surely get in trouble.

The rules need to change.

[Anonymous Coward]

Whether the rule is stupid or not is irrelevant

If you want to fly commercially, YOU WILL OBEY THE RULES, PERIOD!

Yes, the FAA realises that the rules need to change, but all it takes is some incident with a phone and a bomb and everyone runs for the "all electronic devices must be shut off" defence and everyone spits their dummies over how the FAA (or EAA or JAA) didn't prevent that by implementing a rule.

[Anonymous Coward]

it's so the pilot...

...doesn't hear interference on his comms to the control. Many aviation accidents are caused by micommunication.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Agreed

... but on that last bit, file under the strange but true category, and despite seeing it happen consistently in tv shows and films, a lit cigarette cannot ignite gas.

Or so the director's commentary for The Usual Suspects says.

Most fires at the pump are caused by static electricity.

Strange world isn't it?

[Captain TickTock]

if by gas you mean petrol in liquid form... yes

however, petrol vapour, which is a gas, can surely be ignited by a lit cigarette.

Who in their right mind would call a liquid "gas" ? ;-)

[Richard Taylor 2]

Oh yes

with ma own too eyes I have seen the result of someone priming a bbq with petrol on a warm day and throwing in a fag.

Oh we did laff.

[Justin S.]

Re: if by gas you mean petrol...

'Gas' is used as the abbreviated form of "gasoline," formerly "gasolene." Not unlike how "petrol" is an abbreviated derivation of "petroleum." And, while not all "gas" is "gasoline," neither is all "petroleum" "petrol."

[Anonymous Coward]

Still fucking lights with a cigarette whether you want to argue the technicality of the liquid or the vapour combusting,

[Anonymous Coward]

I assume then

you have never seen the "cigarrette extinguished" in a bucket of petrol trick???

Its the vapour thats flammable, not the liquid!

[Miek]

"Alec Baldwin would be on the end of my fist if I cross his path. Unless he has an electrical engineering degree, like me, or is an experienced aeronautics designer or pilot, then he has no place determining what is and isn't safe as far as use of electronic devices on a flight." -- I'm not aware of that particular flight fire-balling and crashing, I guess his use of the phone was safe in this instance, but in the interest of satisfying the attendant and remaining on the flight he probably should have been a good sheep and obeyed the rules ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

It is quite impossible for a lit cigarette to ignite petrol, simply not hot enough, even if you are sucking on it while the lit end is in a pool of petrol it will not ignite.

I think the primary reason fuel stations have no smoking signs is to prevent people lighting the cigarette with a lighter of match as the naked flame most certainly will ignite fuel if it gets in contact.

[Anonymous Coward]

ACTUALLY, FROM A PILOTS PERSPECTIVE...

Electronics in aircraft are pretty well insulated from interferance. However, it is a rule, and a rule is a rule, but why do people like you have to be so self-righteous about it?

[Anonymous Coward]

AND ANOTHER THING.....

DID he use the aircraft setting on the phone, Oh you don't know do you! Pull your neck in.

[Levente Szileszky]

RE: Grrrr

" electrical engineer"

If you would be an "electrical engineer" (sic!) you'd know how ridiculous this ban is and you wouldn't make funny posts like this one on the internet about the subject.

[Annihilator]

Douche

That is all.

Anyone else refusing to turn off electronic devices "when the engines are running on the ground, during approach, take-off and landing" would receive the same treatment. You can argue whether it's a reasonable request, whether it can realistically interfere with critical systems or not, but we all know it's there and comply with it equally.

[kissingthecarpet]

No, it wasn't

That is all.

[Version 1.0]

Nobody turns their electronics off

Almost nobody actually turns their electronics off - most people just put them into hibernate - and Apple products (to my certain knowledge) will wake from hibernation and query DHCP servers and retrieve email while "off" - actually, I'm pretty sure my Android phone does the same thing too.

Most laptops really hibernate and are "dead" emission-wise - but almost all phone and tablet devices will wake up regularly. Just check your DHCP server logs overnight if you doubt me - or watch everyone when you land ... they just open their phones and start talking - the phones never boot up.

[Belgarion]

I turn my devices OFF. It worries me that our society is so wedded to these damn devices they have to be on and/or in hand at all times. Tom MacRae got it right (anyone remember that episode?).

[NogginTheNog]

Baldwin joins Mile High Club, or Come Fly With Me?

"Flight attendant on American reamed me out"

Eeeewww!

[Anonymous Coward]

""United shud hav app onboard where u can play WWF w other passengers. American shud have app where u read the new testament w flt attendants,""

Twitter, destroying the English language since 2006.

[AndrueC]

>Twitter, destroying the English language since 2006.

Nah, he's an actor. What makes you think he was ever able to do better than that?

[zanto]

epic fail

grrrr

ppl hu use wrds lik dat shud be f-ing shot.

(epic fail for baldwin)

[Bob Sanders]

Well done very twitter like. Your response was only 51 characters still had 89 to go. :)

[Anonymous Coward]

Not being French, destroying the English language since ...

English's power is its mutability. Get used to it or learn French.

[Oninoshiko]

Bah, even French changes.

Sola lingua bona est lingua mortua.

[ArmanX]

Not being Latin, destroying the English language since...

(There, fixed it for you)

[Anonymous Coward]

Not fixed at all

The French have L'Académie française. We have no such nonsense. As a result, English is in constant flux.

I occasionally make this point. It usually gains me several thumbs up. Just not when it's in a a twitter context. Funny watching y'all kneejerk.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ John

"United shud hav app onboard where u can play WWF w other passengers. American shud have app where u read the new testament w flt attendants,"

No, we all accept that language changes through time and I would say that most of the changes are accepted without much notice, but you got thumbed down because you seemed to suggest we should accept the above gibberish as a natural progression of the English language, which frankly is ridiculous.

[Anonymous Coward]

Gibberish?

I can understand it perfectly.

And what a bunch of you really just don't understand is that the English language is not defined by the fucking OED. See American English, Australian English, and a shitload of dialects, creoles, pidgins and fuck knows what which are all English. You may not understand them, but they're English.

So I'm not suggesting that txt spk is a natural progression of anything. I am telling you that it already falls under the umbrella that is "English".

[Anonymous Coward]

Please calm down.

What an angry and pompous man you are.

I have no idea why you consider yourself such an expert on what constitutes the English language but I can tell you with 100% certainty that 'w' and 'shud' are not words. They are, at best, the barely legible scrawling of an illiterate and ignorant man and I would suggest that you are equally ignorant if you think differently.

[Anonymous Coward]

"I'm calmer than you are."

"What an angry and pompous man you are."

Yeah ... uh ... this is El Reg. Scorn is pretty much the order of the day, no?

"I have no idea why you consider yourself such an expert [...] but I can tell you with 100% certainty [...]"

Right. Hypocritise much? Look, I'm with Socrates. I don't know shit from shat. But I'm still allowed to have opinions, and to defend those opinions as strongly as the moderator allows. Okay?

What you won't find me doing, because it is the very essence of arrogant ass-hattery is claiming to know anything with 100% certainty.

Insofar as "w" and "shuld" are complete units of language that convey meaning ... they're words. And yes, they do convey meaning. We could all read and understand his message. Perhaps you feel that "laser" and "color" are not words? Or perhaps you'ld care to explain the stray letter in the middle of your handle? Whoopsie.

"They are, at best, the barely legible scrawling of an illiterate and ignorant man and I would suggest that you are equally ignorant if you think differently."

Yeah. And they used to say the same thing about people who end sentences with prepositions or split infinitives.

And in what way is a typed message "barely legible scrawling"? Did you mean "comprehensible typing"? What was that about ignorance?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah I see, you have the right to define any argument and by definition the English language in any terms you see fit. Very convenient for you.

I do however agree with that right, but pretending anyone apart from yourself should give a crap about your arguments and by extension accept that silly, made-up words are automatically part of language because you happen to think they should be is ridiculous and possibly verging on narcissistic.

[Anonymous Coward]

Wut?

"Ah I see, you have the right to define any argument and by definition the English language in any terms you see fit. "

Wut? Where have I claimed this? Quote me or apologise.

English is defined operationally. Many, many, many people speak and understand txt. That is why "w" would be considered acceptable English (although possibly non-standard or colloquial), not because I say so. Because many people say so. Because it works. The same argument goes for "n". Time was, some conservative fool would have dragged you over the coals for your ghastly Americanism.

"Very convenient for you."

There is no verb in this sentence. Why are you allowed to deviate from the rules?

"[...] silly, made-up words"

Like ... tard or fanboi? Why not take the entire El Reg readership to task for not speaking English? While you're at it, can you give me one single word that isn't "made-up"?

"automatically"

Not automatically. Through use. Do pay attention.

"narcissistic"

Since you're trying to be the arbiter of acceptable English, that pretty much makes you the narcissist. The OUP's take on what constitutes English is in line with my inclusive description and not your proscriptive rubbish:

http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/how-many-words-are-there-in-the-english-language

TL;DR. "We don't really know".

But if you want to hold fast to the Big Book of Truth, would this be the apposite moment to advise you to a) check the OED entry for "w"; b) check the OED entry for "shud"? Apology accepted in 5 ...

[diodesign]

Re: Wut?

Any chance you two want to take this somewhere private? I fear this, er, debate is going to roll into 2012.

C.

[Anonymous Coward]

How?

El Reg doesn't allow for private chat. And our nicks aren't quite as unqiue as yours, making discovery by search engine a tricky option.

[diodesign]

Re: How?

Email or smoke signals or something.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't want to moderate ...

... well I'm sure you can work the rest out for yourself.

[John Macintyre]

Typical

Even if he was doing something wrong, he won't admit it, he'll just want to save face by blaming the company. What's the bets at some point he said 'do you know who I am?' at the flight attendants. I vote for zero tolerance on abuse, regardless of the mug who's causing it.

And no I'm not in support of American Airlines, I just accept that flight companies don't get the difference between a phone that's off and a phone that's not visible to them, and that flight attendants have enough shit to deal with.

Mine's the one with 'oooeee look at me I'm famous' written on the back

[Anonymous Coward]

Plus the flipside of the story...

According to other passengers who were on the flight (reported in last night s Eveninstanard) it actually went somethign like this:

He was talking loudly on the phone and not playing the game.

He was asked politely 4 times to turn it off.

He then stood up tipping over a load of papers, went to the loo and started banging his fists on the walls.

The was forced to leave the loo and started hamering on the bar (first class tick one assumes) and shouting at the staff.

The staff then forced him to leave the plane, causing a 1 hour delay to all the other passengers as the plane missed its designated slot for takeoff.

Don't know about you, but of these stories seems much more like to get someone thrown off a fligh than the other.

[Chris Parsons]

Being a coffin-dodger, I can honestly say I have no idea who he is, and am absolutely adamant that I have no desire to learn.

[Arnold Lieberman]

Anybody who writes "shud"

is an illiterate twat.

That is all.

[Evan Essence]

...an illiterate twat I've never heard of before.

[Toastan Buttar]

You just wrote it in your title, Herr Lieberman.

[Anonymous Coward]

#dontyouknowwhoiam?

more like.

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the regulations about devices are crap too

...but I'm not going to take it out on the Flight Attendents. Like it or not we all have to abide by the rules and those Flight Attendents have to enforce it.

F'ing Alec Baldwin... what a self important / self righteous ass

[Chad H.]

Poor Bubbykins

You know the rules. No Phoney-woney on the Planey-waney.

They shouldn't have let him catch a later flight.

[captain veg]

iDon'tCare

Was he using an iThing by any chance? Whenever I fly it seems that all the me-Me-MEphone owners think somehow that they are entitled to furtively operate a prohibited electronic device and to hell with the risk of us all plummeting headlong out of the sky to a horrible death.

They should all have their hands cut off in front of their families.

-A,

[Richard Taylor 2]

that as with many phones the 'airplane' or 'light' mode was permitted, although staff ask for no use during TO/L because most people don't know how to use them?

[JohnG]

I was under the impression that he was thrown off the flight because he refused to turn off his toy prior to takeoff and because he abused staff who wouldn't go along with the "rules don't apply to celebs like me" concept. This also means that a plane load of people had their travel delayed by one arrogant git - I hope he gets prosecuted.

[Alan W. Rateliff, II]

Witnesses differ on account

According to witnesses, Mr. Baldwin threw a tantrum which got the attention of the captain, for which he was summarily ejected.

And rightly so. Rules are rules, Mr. Baldwin, irrespective of what sinking ship TV show you sail or credit card you flog.

(Was he playing "Words with Friends" with his daughter? Might explain a few things.)

In another direction, the AAIB's report on the Heathrow flight, which dropped like a stone just short of the runway, noted some tests run on the avionics and controlled devices. The tests found that, even at significant strength (something like 100 times normal broadcast strength from a mobile phone,) cellular signals did not interfere with the systems. As a layman with moderate exposure to RF-noisy electronics and signal busses since childhood, I am inclined to agree with ArmanX who purports to possess an EE degree.

Paris, 100 times normal broadcast strength.

[Asgard]

youtube + mobile phone video == 21st century version of public humiliation via medieval Stocks

@"Mr. Baldwin threw a tantrum which got the attention of the captain, for which he was summarily ejected."

Ironically its times like that I wish someone had quickly used their mobile to briefly video the event to humiliate people like Baldwin for holding everyone up and in doing so, show people like Baldwin up in public for what they are really like. The more that happens, the more society as a whole puts pressure against this kind of behaviour to show its unacceptable.

It would also help a case against him if the airline wanted to prosecute him for his attitude to staff and everyone else and for holding up the flight.

Video phones are turning into basically a 21st century way to publicly humiliate these kinds of people in the same public way medieval Stocks were once used at the site of a busy town centre market.

Just look at the case of the arrogant bullying ranting woman on the tram in Croydon over the past week for an example of how society is using new technology in a very old way to publicly humiliate these arrogant self-obsessed people.

Shame we can't also throw mud, eggs and other rotten smelly food at them like they did with medieval Stocks. ;)

[Local Group]

I object to entering the video as evidence, Your Honor

>"I wish someone had quickly used their mobile to briefly video the event"

But then that person would be violating the airline's rules.

Will video taken on a plane be admissible in court?

[Michael Kean]

Perhaps..

... if he used a VHS Camcorder he'd get away with it :) Only a few years ago, cameras were not RF-Capable thinggies.

[Bakunin]

Sat at the gate not moving.

Probably sat at the gate not moving because at least one passenger hadn't got ready for take off.

You may not agree with the "all electronics off" policy that air lines have, but while they exist you don't get special exception.

While we're at it, learn to at least *try* and spell.

Idiot.

[kissingthecarpet]

No.

It is not "Try and" it is "Try to" . "Try and" is equivalent to "would of" instead of "would have"

[Swarthy]

Try and...

Could be interpreted as a shortened version of "put forth some effort and ..."

[DrXym]

Someone is lying I think

No one gets thrown off a plane for using a phone unless they ignore the stewardess and / or start berating them. So I'm betting that's exactly what he did. I wonder what United think of their new passenger.

[Anonymous Coward]

Well...

Maybe he did abuse the staff... I imagine it went something like this...

FA: Sir, please turn off your mobile phone

AB: I will when we show signs of moving

FA: Sir, the phone could interfere with important flight controls

AB: That's bull. It's offline, and if you haven't noticed, we're still connected to the gate and not moving, let alone flying.

FA: Sir, if you won't turn off your phone I will have you removed from the plane

AB: Oh f*ck off you jumped up little twat, go mince off and annoy someone else.

Or at least that's how it will go in my head if a flight attendant ever tried the same with me.

[AndrueC]

FA: Here's the door. Please f*ck off to another company. Sir.

[NumptyScrub]

<insert title here>

"Or at least that's how it will go in my head if a flight attendant ever tried the same with me"

If you were in my car, and refused to turn a phone off when I asked you, I'd boot you out too. My car, my rules, and if you don't like it you can walk.

Just because you are offering fiscal recompense to the airline for the *privilege* of being on their flight, doesn't mean they have to take you. Their plane, their rules, and your refund once you get ejected from the vehicle ;)

Looked at an alternative way:

"We told you to turn your phone off for takeoff. You still have your phone on, so you have failed the intelligence test required to allow you to fly on this plane. Please disembark at our earliest convenience."

[John Macintyre]

"Their plane, their rules, and your refund once you get ejected from the vehicle ;)"

Would that be grounds for a refund? It wasn't the airlines fault, he was an a-hole. Surely that means he wouldn't get a full refund as he chose to f*ck up his flight, and he still got on another plane....

[Anonymous Coward]

@NumptyScrub

Turning off the phone for takeoff is the rule... They weren't anywhere near take off. They were still at the gate!

If not, Mr Baldwin would have had a doozy of a first step when he was ejected!

So I'll continue to use my phone, usually to say "Just boarded, see you soon" before turning it offline whilst we wait for the inevitable couple of planks who are late.

[Mr Larrington]

Speaking...

...as the "plank" who was the last passenger to board BA 219 on September 3rd this year, it was entirely the fault of the useless twunt at the check-in counter who issued me with a boarding card that directed me to entirely the wrong gate in entirely the wrong part of LHR T5. *And* my phone was switched off.

[Intractable Potsherd]

@AC

Why do you regard it as such an imposition to have your shiny-shiny switched off? Perhaps it is time that self-important people such as yourself and Mr Baldwin should be ejected regularly from flights if you can't follow simple rules.

Disclaimer: I regard commercial flying as wonderful for the sole reason that there are no endlessly pinging, beeping electronics held by endlessly bleating, banal people.

[photogsy]

Well, as Kim Jong Il said:

When you see Arec Barrwin, you wirr see the true ugriness of human nature.

[Steve Ives]

I wondered..

... when 'Team America' would get a mention.

In Europe it's phones etc off when the doors close. And whilst it may not be necessary, it's common courtesy to do so (some of you - I'm looking at you, AC - may have to look that phrase up).

Steve

[Will Godfrey]

Pratt

That's all.

[AndrueC]

That can't be all. What about Whitney?

Sorry :)

[Dave Murray]

You are worthless Alec Baldwin

People using phones on planes when they're not supposed to annoy the hell out of me. I wish flight attendants would do this to people more often.

[silent_count]

Missed opportunity

They kicked him off the plane while it was still on the ground. What's the point of that? Wait till they get to their cruising altitude THEN kick him off the plane.

If they did that just once, I'll bet that flight attendants would get a whole lot more courtesy from the self-important twats of the world.

[Johan Bastiaansen]

rules and procedures

We need more of them. And the more stupid they are, the more we need them.

And the mindless dumb fucks who think it is their job to enforce them. We need more of them also.

But if banks and hughe sums of money are involved, then we don't need rules. Then we need deregulation.

Alec is my hero. We fight the same fight.

[sisk]

So many words...

And me with too much decency to use them in public. Seriously, though, would someone take some of these idiotic celebs aside and explain to them, with a clue-by-four if need be, that the rules apply to them just like they do to anyone else? It's like they think being famous somehow makes them better than the rest of us.

And as if that weren't bad enough, the whining and the horrendous grammer is enough to make me contemplate violence. Maybe I'm just a bit more irritable than normal today, but that's just unacceptable from an adult. It's barely tolerable when it comes from teens who are young enough not to know better.

[Anonymous Coward]

"horrendous grammer"

Oh, the irony...

[JudeKay]

Re: "horrendous grammer"

In sisk's defence, he took issue with the grammar rather than the spelling...

[Evan Essence]

grammer

"If you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written".

Muphry's Law

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry's_law

[O RLY]

If his tweets are any indication, he's probably not any good at Words With Friends. That requires words to be spelt correctly...

[Stevie]

Bah!

So many strong opinions on the behaviour of those involved.

So few eyewitnesses.

[Alan W. Rateliff, II]

Obvious...

0/10

(Probably my only post ever thrown to the mods expecting rejection.)

[Alan W. Rateliff, II]

Separated at posting

I don't know how my post above got detached, but it was a replay to Johan Bastiaansen.

[Miek]

"United shud hav app onboard where u can play WWF w other passengers. American shud have app where u read the new testament w flt attendants"

Scrabble Hustler

[hplasm]

Play WWF onboard-

Only when flying pandas to zoos, shurely...

[disgruntled yank]

I always wondered

Why America is bankrupt. Thank you, Mr. Baldwin.

[CowardlyAndrew]

If the plane was sat at the gate and the door open, then usually you are allowed things on.

If refueling while still boarding, they usually add a DO NOT BUCKLE UP warning, in addition to electronic devices.

Flying in business when I can, you find that generally staff are much more friendly about this, and people do put stuff down and away once its clear the doors are shutting. Have seen more abuse on the device rule in economy, and oddly it often seems to involve the person who was a pain to staff during the flight too. Some people seem to exude karma where things go badly for them.

[Anonymous Coward]

His claims vs the claims of other passengers

Baldwin claims he was removed for playing with his phone whilst still at the gate.

Another passenger claims that the flight had to return to the gate to have Baldwin removed.

Having several flight crew as friends, I am more likely to believe the latter.

Once the cabin door *closes*, devices must be switched off (not switched to flight mode, but *switched off*). That's the FAA mandate, not a spurious argument made by flight crew to annoy you. You are legally obliged to obey.

If not, the plane will either not leave the gate and you will be deplaned, or, if the plane is in motion (or awaiting departure), the plane will *return* to the gate and you will be deplaned.

Sorry Alec Baldwin, but just because you are an X-list celebutard does not mean the world revolves around you. Go charter a jet and fly private in the future if you don't like AA telling you to *SWITCH YOUR DEVICE OFF WHEN THE CABIN DOORS ARE CLOSED*

[Anonymous Coward]

Here's proof

Yay for American Airlines for putting out a statement regarding Alec Baldwin and his antics:

http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/07/american-airlines-alec-baldwin-extremely-rude-statement/

[The Grump]

whaaaaaaa !!!

So Mr Baldwin's mature, reasoned argument boils down to "I should be able to do what I want, when I want to do it. Whaaaaaa". In the colonies, the TSA rules the air, and the TSA says "all instructions from the flight crew must be followed immediately". What part of this is Mr Baldwin too dense to understand ? Two words - Big Baby. Kim was right to dump him.

I am sooooo glad he doesn't fly on my fav airline, Southwest.

Paris, because even she understands the FAA rules, which poor little Alec doesn't. Maybe she can babysit him during his next flight.

[hamacy]

how many points for

A.R.R.O.G.A.N.T. T.W.A.T. ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty stupid

Pretty stupid to get kicked off an airplane because you're too dumb to shut off a video game. What an A-Hole. The other passengers should have beat his arse for delaying the flight.

[[e-mail]]

Interesting to note...

That his Twitter account is now showing as de-activated...

[Don S.]

I'm surprised no one brought this up.

He probably told the Flight Attendant "It's alright, I've played a pilot."

[Annihilator]

Problem

Other than 30 Rock, I don't think I've seen him in anything. Though does Team America count?...

[Levente Szileszky]

RE: I'm surprised

Hahaha, that's great! :D

FYI mouthbreathers here don't watch TV or at least do not see US ads...

[Levente Szileszky]

To all the mouthbreathers here...

...Lawrence O'Donnell (for Britons: host of "Last Word with..." on MSNBC) just said he did sit beside Baldwin on the flight he took from NY to LA on Friday and Baldwin was "polite to a fault", that he had never seen anyone being more polite in his life.

While you are all chewing through the foam that now completely covers your piehole I'd raise another interesting point: just how much trouble he could have caused if the SAME airline IMMEDIATELY booked him the NEXT SAME FLIGHT...?

BTW it's funny if Baldwin, well-known for his liberal views, will indeed switch from the gay-friendly American to United - it was only days ago when this story was picked up by the media: https://www.facebook.com/billycanu/posts/10150484899950406 =)

[Anonymous Coward]

polite on a completely different flight days later?

I would hope so, because now he knows what happens when he's an ass. But I fail to see how that's relevant to his behavior on the flight he was removed from.

Sure they booked him on another flight. And there happened to be a seat available on the next one. I don't know where you get "immediately" from. Anyway, getting kicked off your flight for talking on your phone and being rude to flight attendants sounds like punishment enough for that kind of infraction.

[Levente Szileszky]

RE: not another but the very NEXT flight

" I don't know where you get "immediately" from. "

Umm, the news...?

[Levente Szileszky]

And just how did someone was tweeting about this LIVE, from the same plane?

Because that's how the story first went viral, someone was tweeting - y'know, mouthbreathers, ZEE INTERNETZ, aliiiiive, on a plaaaane! - and never been caught, forget being kicked off the plane...?

In short this story stinks so many ways.

[theloon]

Idiot Baldwin

Good for AA. I would have been kicked off for it and you would have been kicked off for it, so some primadona also gets kicked off for it.

It's a simple blanket rule as the airline staff are not going to be able to check out all devices from all the passengers to see how/if when they could be in transmit mode.

Yes we all know that tons of devices get left on,and so yeah, perhaps the rule is BS when it comes down to it. However today, just for flying, that is the simple rule....

Frankly he should also be arrested and fined, like the rest of us would be.

[peter 45]

getting into trouble

I had just finished the "find the last space in the overhead locker " dance I heard an announcement reminding us to switch off all mobiles. I got my mobile out to switch it of only to be confronted by a steward shouting tha I should not be using my phone. My protest that I was switching it off was met by a threat to report me to the captain for refusing to stop using my phone.

Sometimes these rules are the perfect excuse for some little tit to abuse others and feel smug about it.

[Neil 38]

It's funny how the "safety" regulations change so quickly once there's some revenue in it.

All wireless devices used to have to be turned off during flight, miraculously they were deemed safe as soon as airlines started providing in-flight chargeable wi-fi access.

[Local Group]

On the other hand

It's better to get thrown off a plane for playing kiddy games than to get taken off for kiddy porn

[Anonymous Coward]

And the clown still thinks the airline is at fault

He still sees nothing wrong with his actions. Another self-centered jackass.

[elljay75]

Spoiled child syndrome?

Seems to me like Mr Baldwin needs to take a big dose of grow up pills

He was probably told on several occasions to switch off said game - which as far as I know from reading the website needs a network connection to function. So the chances are that he wasn't using flight mode because if he had been, he wouldn't be able to play the game.

He probably would have been invited to turn off the device or leave the flight - again he decides he doesn't want to stop playing his game, so he is required to take the only other option available to him and the airline.

Just because he's a star, doesn't mean a bag of rocks as far as I can see. Nor does the fact that all the electronics are pretty well shielded. As someone else made the comment, the rules are indeed the rules. The rest of us must abide with them, I see no reason why Mr Baldwin can't grow up and follow them too.

BTW, I've been on many flights where, even though the passengers have been allowed on to the aircraft, they're still refuelling or running other checks, which means that the "no electronic devices" rule is enforced. I'm not saying that this was the case, but merely that there are many situations in which the "no devices switched on" precaution is exercised even if the aircraft isn't about to go hurtling into the sky at a rate of knots.

[Levente Szileszky]

RE: Spoiled...

PRICELESS...

"He was probably..."

"He probably..."

"Just because he's a star, doesn't mean a bag of rocks as far as I can see."

" I see no reason why Mr Baldwin can't grow up..."

"BTW, I've been on..."

" I'm not saying that this was the case, but..."

Ahhh too funny - fighting some deep-rooted issues, aren't we all...?

[Big-nosed Pengie]

What a twat

That is all.

[Mister Major]

What an utter...

...knob

[Anonymous Coward]

another entitled tw@t

the rest of us have to follow rules, but Baldwin is a member of the Just-Us League. Rules are for everyone else.

Had His Lairdship of LaLa Land been taking a nap and been disturbed by some @sshat not following the rules, he'd be kvetching about that. But since HE was the one breaking the rules...."do you know who I am?!"

Follow the rules, lobby for change. Do not break rules and expect to be coddled for it. Civil disobedience requires taking the penalty as part of the process-Thoreau's point was that the arrests would fill jails and cause issues that way-not that everyone should be allowed to break rules.

I don't care if the holdup is some coddled adolescent too busy screwing around and "rebelling" against his parents' authority or some overpriced court jester who is rebelling against the airline. Rules are part of the "social contract" and anyone refusing to follow them does not receive the benefits of that contract either.

Alternatively, dooes he have another movie coming out that needed promotion?

[medusa]

Yesterday a flight attendant told a man sitting in the exit row right in front of me, 'I am going to pull you from the exit row as it's apparent you cannot follow crew instructions. I've told you twice to quit texting and turn your phone off.' Too bad she did not follow-up as the self important person did hurry to comply.

Too bad, because then I might have gotten a slightly less uncomfortable seat.