Europe Likely to Get Cell Phones on Flights

Regulators knock down plan to allow cell phone use in flight

(NEWSER) - Chatty frequent-flyers were disappointed yesterday, as the Federal Communications Commission refused to lift its ban on cell phone use during flight. The two-year old proposal had prompted a massive outpouring from airline customers who called airborne conversation "a recipe for a lot of anger" and "torture." More»

Experts suspect gadgets in a number of incidents

(NEWSER) - Show of hands: How many people actually turn off all their electronic devices on an airplane? Well, maybe you should next time, because experts say they might—just might—actually interfere with the flight. “It’s a good news-bad news thing,” one Boeing engineer tells the New York Times . Illicit device use almost never actually does any harm, which is mostly good, he explains. But “it’s bad in that people assume it never will.” More»

The 68-year-old 'felt he was protecting the entire plane'

(NEWSER) - Next time the flight attendants ask you to turn off your cell phone before takeoff, you better do it … because if you don’t, the 68-year-old guy sitting next to you just might punch you. Russell Miller, accused of doing just that, was arrested upon landing last week and charged with misdemeanor battery. He got into a fight with a 15-year-old boy on a Southwest flight from Las Vegas to Boise, CNN reports, and allegedly smacked the kid on the shoulder when he refused to turn off his iPhone. More»

(NEWSER) - Ryanair’s CEO isn’t joking about ripping two of the three toilets out of his planes and charging for the use of the remaining one, the Guardian reports. “We are serious about it,” said Michael O’Leary, nicknamed “Michael O’Really” by industry skeptics. “We are flying aircraft on an average flight time of one hour around Europe. What the hell do we need three toilets for?” He plans the change within 2 years. More»

Captain did opposite of proper procedure when plane stalled

(NEWSER) - The captain of the commuter plane that crashed in Buffalo in February, killing 50 people, wasn't properly trained on the plane's stall-protection system and had failed several flight tests, the Wall Street Journal reports. When the plane warned of an imminent stall, the pilot did the opposite of proper procedure, according to investigators. More»