The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is looking to make it against the rules again for passengers to use their smartphones during takeoffs and landings.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was challenged by the biggest flight attendant union in the U.S. in court on Friday about the issue in an attempt to reinstate a government ban on using mobile devices in these situations, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The flight attendants argued that the agency didn't take in comments from the public when it changed the rules. They also expressed concerns about this change affecting the safety of passengers, in which passengers could get hit by electronic devices that bounce around the cabin during turbulence.
"When an agency proposes a controversial change in the rule that affects public safety, it must be made through the proper rule-making process," the union said in a court document.
The FAA eased restrictions on the use of smartphones and tablets last year, letting airlines demonstrate that these devices can be used safely on flights and that they didn't put passengers in danger, Informationweek reported. Devices had to be turned off during takeoffs and landings prior to the change, and passengers were only allowed to use them in airplane mode when the plane was 10,000 feet high. Now, passengers can use smaller devices like smartphones, tablets and e-readers at any time during the flight, as long as the wireless radios are turned off. However, they still can't use laptops and other larger devices until the plane has reached 10,000 feet.
The union is suing the FAA over this change, also arguing that passengers don't pay attention to safety demonstrations at the beginning of flights anymore. Amanda Dure, an attorney for the union, said turbulence and accidents on flights happen most often during takeoffs and landings, which she says are the two most dangerous parts of a flight.
The lawsuit was filed in late December, but it was not until Friday that it became public, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The FAA recommends that airlines have passengers stow larger devices away but let them use smaller devices, which the Justice Department lawyers said complies with federal rules regarding luggage stowage.
"Not every single item carried onto a plane (e.g. a cell phone, a book, a pack of gum) necessarily constitutes an 'article of baggage' that must be 'stowed' under the seat or in an overhead compartment," the lawyers said in a court ruling.
Dure said the union would be satisfied if the FAA had airlines tell passengers to stow away devices while allowing them to stay on during takeoffs and landings, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The FAA declined to comment on the lawsuit.
