Phones Are Bad for Planes

Eeesh. A new report has found that cell phones and “personal electronic devices” really do interfere with planes’ navigation systems, which obviously is very dangerous. So when you think you’re being all sneaky tweeting about the loud chewer sitting across the aisle while you are in flight, you might in fact be endangering the lives of all your fellow passengers. Not cool. Last time I flew, a guy next to me was doing this very thing, and I spent the whole flight being nervous about it and debating whether I should tell him to turn it off. (I didn’t, because apparently I am incapable of being pushy even if it is a life or death matter?) We landed without incident, and everyone else turned on their phones. This prompted a very elegant elderly woman who was sitting in front of me to turn to her traveling companion — who was either her nephew or her godson, I couldn’t tell — and start lamenting how people used to just stand up and get off the plane when it landed, but now they all whip out their phones and start checking their messages. (I guess, but they still get off the plane?) That led them into a much longer conversation about how young people’s texting is ruining the English language, and they got onto the topic of LOL. Her companion maintained that it stood for Laughing Out Loud, while she insisted that it meant Lots of Love. He took a sort of condescending tone about it and was like, “When people say that in emails, I can almost guarantee they mean Laughing Out Loud.” But she was no fool. She replied, “No, I don’t think so, because, for instance, when George died, I got emails from friends that said, ‘I’m so sorry to hear about George. LOL.” Ha! “Sorry your husband died. Can’t stop giggling!” Anyway, when the flight attendant tells you to turn off your phone, please please please do it. LOL.