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Comment by sugarpile | Hacker News Reader

AA has had a real annoying stick up their ass for a while. I'd wager a decent amount of money this initiative is being pushed by the same person/group who decided on the banning of AA accounts for getting too many citi aadvantage cards a few years ago.

Wouldn't dream of paying to fly them and only use their miles to fly their partners so I guess they need _some_ boogeyman they can point to for their terrible performance, can't possibly be their management's fault

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It isn't limited to AA. I was on an Alaska Airlines flight a while back where they let us know that using videoconferencing software in flight is a federal felony. Hint: it's not.

If the crew has asked you not to do something and you do it, then it’s a federal felony (you must follow crew members directions). So as long as they ask you not to do it, it is in fact a felony to disregard that!

Im gonna need some sauce for this dry ass burrito here..

14 CFR 121.580 (see also 91.11 and 135.120) Applies civil penalties.

49 USC 46504 Applies criminal penalties.

"An individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who ... interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both..."

I don't actually think you would be prosecuted for having a zoom call after being asked not to in a general announcement, but I think that if you pushed the matter, you would definitely be flying home on a different carrier. I also don't know if having a zoom call "interferes with crew member duties", but if one of their duties is preventing people from making zoom calls, then arguably yes, it does.

That law seems to say that if you mess with the flight attendants, youre gonna have a bad time. I dont see anything there about whatever they say goes.

They could tell you to turn off your zoom meeting during landing/takeoff, which is reasonable, because no electronics on during that time, etc, but they couldnt be like "hey pants are illegal on this flight" and then take you down for wearing pants.

This doesn't really hold up in reality. A flight attendant hands me a machete and tells me to dismember everyone in the entire cabin. I refuse.

Am I really going to be prosecuted for committing a felony in this scenario?

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