Flight attendant confronts teen on flight—shock at 'awful' response

 A flight attendant who asked a teenage girl to hang up her phone and switch it to airplane mode was left stunned at her reaction.

As 35-year-old Georgia-based TikTok user Savannah (@savannah0191) walked along the aisle doing her final checks before takeoff on a recent flight, she did not expect there to be any major issues.

She eventually reached a girl—reportedly about 17 or 18 years old—who was taking a phone call, a big no-no when taking off on a plane, so she kindly asked the passenger to hang up the phone and switch to airplane mode.

Her response, however, left Savannah stunned.

“Why do I have to get off my phone?” the girl asked in disbelief, to which the flight attendant explained that those are the rules.

“You know better than that,” the girl’s mother chimed in, but still she refused.

She repeatedly asked why she was being made to end her phone call, insinuating that the request was only being made of her, even though it is a federal regulation.

The Regulation

Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations reads, “Cellular telephones installed in or carried aboard airplanes, balloons or any other type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the ground).

“When any aircraft leaves the ground, all cellular telephones on board that aircraft must be turned off.”

Unfortunately for Savannah, the passenger seemingly was not aware of this law. Even as she put her cell phone down, the teen refused to actually hang up, despite her mother asking her to.

Users React

Users flocked to the comments to weigh in, with one lamenting, “People are so combative for absolutely no reason anymore. It’s so weird.

“I just keep thinking, aren’t you exhausted being this miserable?”

Another added, “The worst part of your story is that her mom was sitting right next to her and didn’t correct her immediately; that’s on mom.”

While it is a federal regulation, the reasoning behind the rule is not always immediately clear to travelers.

Booking.com explains, “It’s a safety thing. Cell phones, laptops, handheld gaming systems, e-readers and other devices emit radio waves that can affect navigation and radar equipment and interfere with pilots’ headsets.”

It may seem like a nuisance for travelers hoping to have some in-flight entertainment, but turning a phone off can be an important contributing factor in the safety of a flight.

Though the teen finally did hang up the phone, she held a grudge for the rest of the flight. As Savannah offered her a drink during the beverage service, the girl replied sassily, “Are you going to tell me I can’t have it?”

While Savannah had kept her cool and remained polite, some people on TikTok considered other ways of dealing with the moody teen.

“I’d have been out of anything she asked for,” one commenter declared.