Vietnamese plane turned around after passenger resisted phone ban: authority
Thanh Nien News
HANOI - Thursday, October 01, 2015 17:42
Hanoi airport authorities have fined a passenger VND4 million (US$178) for using her cell phone on a Vietjet flight last month when it was on the runway and about to take off.
Phan Thi Huong used her phone on the flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on September 20, even after a flight attendant explicitly asked her to put it away, according to a new statement by the Northern Airport Authority.
Without her cooperation, the pilot decided to turn the aircraft back to the landing area to file a report to the authorities.
They resumed the flight an hour later.
A source from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam said many passengers use their phones during take-off and landing, which can cause interference with the aircraft’s navigation or communication system.