No more looking at phones on the fly.
Passengers aren’t the only ones getting reprimanded for in-flight phone use. United Airlines is threatening to crack down on — and even fire — flight attendants who use personal devices aboard the aircraft, per a leaked memo taking off online.
“Use of a personal electronic device and/or accessories is not permitted while customers are on board the aircraft, with the exception of crew rest,” reads the doc, which was shared by anonymous flight attendants, Live and Let’s Fly reported.
In it, United argued that flight staffers can’t provide “visible and attentive service to customers” if they are using a “personal electronic device onboard.”
“Customers look to flight attendants for great service,” they declared. “How comfortable would you be asking someone for help if they were engrossed in their cell phone? What impression would that give you?”…
They added, “Even in public, you should always remain approachable in uniform and display courtesy to customers and other employees.”
When reached by The Post, United Airlines declined to comment.
And it’s not just service quality that suffers due to inflight phone use, per the memo. United warns that being perusing one’s phone can lead to a host of safety issues.
These include “missing an onboard security incident” and “causing personal injury or injury to a jumpseat partner on landing if not properly braced,” per the doc.
Scrolling in the sky could even result in an accidental slide deployment if the crewmember is holding a device while disarming aircraft doors, United claimed.
The airline warned that failing to abide by the policy could result in serious consequences “up to and including termination.
The Post reached out to United Airlines for comment.
Naturally, this measure might seem a tad overzealous in a society where people use smartphones everywhere from in bathrooms to, well, on aircraft (despite this practice being banned by the FCC).
However, Live and Let’s Fly author Matthew Klint wrote that this harsh penalty “suggests the seriousness of this problem.”
“As a frequent United flyer, it will be interesting to see if there will be less use of personal mobile phones going forward with the threat of discipline now clearly laid out,” he wrote.
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