# Airline questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694 "2002-06-06T16:33:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![welby1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@welby1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby1)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/1 "2002-06-06T16:33:22Z")
I just flew from Washington D.C. to Orlando Florida and got to thinking. . . when the plane takes off and lands you’re told to put seat backs up and tray tables away, and to turn off all portable electronic devices. Tray tables I understand, if you crash or get bumped you might hurt yourself, but why seat backs up and straight? If the plane were to crash, how much worse could it possibly be that I was reclined and comfortable? Some electronic devices being turned off, cell phones or pagers, I can understand, but why CD players and video games? If this has been asked, I apologizxe, but he board is moving slowly today and I’m too lazy to wait for results. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/2 "2002-06-06T16:58:22Z")
Considering the seats only recline about three degrees from vertical, I agree that making you put your seats upright seems ridiculous. If the airplane drills a smoking crater in the ground, putting your seat upright isn’t going to do jack. But the theory is that if your seat is upright when the aircraft makes a violent movement (say it collides with another aircraft on the runway) the person behind you is less likely to hit his head. So putting your seat upright doesn’t help you, it helps the nitwit behind you who’s been kicking your seat all flight. Putting away **all** electronic devices just makes it easier for the cabin staff to get people to put away the dangerous stuff like cell phones and bomb detonators. They don’t have to decide what’s good and what’s bad, and they can’t be accused of picking on the yuppie bastards yakking into their electronic umbilicals all freaking flight. More importantly, it reduces the amount of stuff that could become a projectile in the cabin if the aircraft got in an accident. Ever had a Game Boy thrown at your head? ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/3 "2002-06-06T17:03:56Z")
On the seat back question, I suspect it is to allow more room for a quick egress in an emergency. Also, the seats are probably stronger in the upright position. When reclined, they could pitch forward adding to possible whiplash. Just guesses on my part. ---
**Author:** ![eschewObfuscation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e57/32.png) [@eschewObfuscation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschewObfuscation)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/4 "2002-06-06T17:09:45Z")
more guesses: - having your seat back does 2 things, 1) it puts the back of your seat that much closer to the head of the person behind you (who , of course, is in the crash position), and 2) creates a smaller lane through which to get to the aisle in the event of a water landing. - i don’t agree with the electronic devices thing at all…but Lufthansa, they don’t have the ever-lit no smoking sign, they have a no electronic devices sign. The argument is based on the idea that EMR from the device in question could interfere with on-board systems, leading to a crash (in the worst case) or some sort of malfunction. Again, I think it’s baloney. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/5 "2002-06-06T17:15:01Z")
I’ve never been asked to put away my CD player, just to turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/6 "2002-06-06T17:23:52Z")
I’ve never been asked to put away my CD player, just to turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/7 "2002-06-06T18:13:25Z")
Seats in the forward position make it safer for the person in the seat behind you. Safety is the first reason for all the rules. I think that many electonic defices, phones, games, etc give off radiation that might be harmful to communications. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/8 "2002-06-06T18:31:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rsa \* > **On the seat back question, I suspect it is to allow more room for a quick egress in an emergency.** Another good reason. > [@](#): > > **Also, the seats are probably stronger in the upright position. When reclined, they could pitch forward adding to possible whiplash.** Naaah. No difference in strength between upright and reclined. They’ll jacknife no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/9 "2002-06-06T18:44:03Z")
Regarding electronic devices, here are some threads where the topic has been addressed: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=12807](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=12807) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61875](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61875) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70133](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70133) ---
**Author:** ![kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f9ae1b/32.png) [@kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/10 "2002-06-06T18:45:18Z")
> [@](#): > > i don’t agree with the electronic devices thing at all… think it’s baloney. You might want to read this pilot’s experience with a passengers laptop. [Passenger Electronics](http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=000439) Note: He flies and MD-80 for Delta. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/11 "2002-06-06T18:47:30Z")
And from Cecil himself: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_355.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_355.html) ---
**Author:** ![zwaldd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zwaldd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwaldd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-questions/112694/12 "2002-06-06T19:16:44Z")
I have a theory that flight 93 crashed as a result of all the passengers breaking out their cell phones and disrupting the plane’s navigation.