I am back from vacation! And what a vacation it was. Good food, good company, nice pool, the blackjack…..All in all, a highly successful time away. Plus, there was inspiration for things to write about every which way I turned. (I’m looking at you, super drunk guy on the parking bus!)
The first time I turned to Home Warrior and said, “I have to blog about that,” was on our first flight, on the first day of vacation. During the normal “Turn off your electronic device” spiel the flight attendant gave us, I heard something new. “You are not allowed to use anything that gives off an electronic frequency. This includes cell phones, laptop computers, Blackberrys, and all other wireless devices, including your wireless mouse.”
Now, I’ve been on a lot of flights in my day, and sometimes I feel like I can get up there and do the safety presentation along with the FAs. But I have never heard of them saying that you can’t use a wireless mouse on a plane. In fact, I have never heard them say anything about a wireless frequency before. It makes sense, if you think about it. Of course, that being said, I don’t use a wireless mouse on a regular basis like some of my frequent traveler companions, and so it wouldn’t occur to me to use one on a plane.
So my question is, do any of you readers use a wireless mouse regularly? Do you use it while flying? Has anyone every said anything to you about it?
I do use wireless mice, but if you can’t use a laptop why would you need a mouse? And since when can’t you use a laptop on a plane?
You are so right! Maybe I am more tired from Vegas than I thought…..
Let me clarify. It was the spiel at the beginning of the flight, where you have to have all of your devices off for takeoff. She said something about turning on approved electronic devices when they said you could, but never any with wireless frequency. Then she listed some that were prohibited the whole flight, including the wireless mouse. Does that make more sense?
I’ve heard this quite a few times. I don’t use a mouse with my laptop though, and use a wireless mouse only at home with my desktop, so it’s never been an issue.
Given the cramp quarters on a plane, even if you were allowed to use the laptop, there isn’t any room on the seat tray to place the wireless mice…(or any room for that matter.)
[unless those lucky few who gets buz/first]
I haven’t heard this yet! Although I’m hearing more and more “including your e-reader.” I always keep mine on airplane mode… so I admit, I usually hide it after the door closes, wait until the flight attd’s buckle in, and then open it back up. Naughty, I know!
Huh, I guess I wouldn’t have thought of that. I do turn off my Kindle during takeoff, although I’m never really clear whether I have to.
I don’t know if I’ve heard an announcement, but the airline magazines usually say no wireless mice or radio controlled cars. Shucks! I was hoping to annoy the plane with my RC Car.
It was news to me, but the flight attendant told me to turn my mouse off last week while in flight. I was less than enthusiastic, so she was “kind” enough to being me the in-flight magazine with the restriction circled for me my reading pleasure.
http://bit.ly/aB9TcM
It really isn’t anything new. Anything that uses radio transmissions has always been banned during flight. They may just never have enumerated your wireless mouse as being included in that long list before.
Of course, if I were traveling with my infrared wireless mouse, I’d point out the difference between radio waves and infrared signals, but I wouldn’t expect the flight attendant to be willing to make that judgement call.
I do the same as Sarah Cool with my e-reader. That makes 2 naughty ladies in the skies. It makes no sense to me why we can’t use an e-reader if the wireless is turned off. It’s no different than a paperback.
1) Where did you plan on putting the mouse? I can’t possible see a scenario in which you have room for both a laptop and a mouse.
2) For as long as I have flown I have figured it was common knowledge that wireless devices, like those handheld antenna TVs I see people using all the time at the gate, and wireless mice were prohibited throughout the flight.
people are using bluetooth headphones all the time…
I use a wireless mouse (if I am lucky enough to be upgraded. I, also, have bluetooth headphones.
Last month, during a trip back from the UK,I discovered that I had, inadvertently, left my Blackberry on. While flying over Canada, it registered with a mobile service provider! There weren’t any hysterical calls from the pilot, saying his navigation equipment was askew. I didn’t have air marshalls or flight attendant dragons descending on my seat to confiscate the said BB. I’ll try not to do it again, but I don’t really understand why airlines jump up and down about the subject. If it was that serious, why would they take a chance on wilful or forgetful passengers like me?
Anyone care to educate me?
I find it so funny that people admit to not following instructions. They must be there for a reason, right? Jonathan, I am a Flight Attendant and twice I have had the pilots call me to check in the cabin to see if anyone was using an electronic device that transmitted a signal as they were having difficulty with their navigation. Maybe, just maybe, since I don’t know that much about it, but maybe one or two electronic devices left on won’t hurt anything…but in this day where practically everyone has something on them electronic… 150 electronic devices left on might disrupt the navigation systems.
I’m an F.A. When people blatantly have their devices on when they shouldn’t it increases my duties to ask them to turn them off. Some people even get confrontational not knowing that they can be dropped back off at the terminal. Think of it like this… if a police officer was patrolling your neighborhood would you J-walk in front of him? If so, don’t catch him on a bad day. Or if you had paper work to file would you like someone to come along and cause you more unnecessary paper work?