

A new poll shows that younger people are far more likely to believe
it's time for the Federal Aviation Administration to loosen its rule
about turning off electronic devices before takeoff.
After actor Alec Baldwin’s removal from an American Airlines flight for
refusing to turn off his phone while playing a video game, Poll
Position surveyed 1,356 registered U.S. voters to find out how they felt about the FAA’s long-standing rule
that electronic devices must be turned off when planes are preparing to
take off.
The poll found that 70 percent of people ages 18-29 believe passengers
should be able to play electronic games on the runway, but older
respondents disagreed. Approval for game playing plummeted as age rose.
For those ages 30 to 44, 40.5 percent said that using game devices while waiting for takeoff was acceptable, but only 26.8 percent in
the 44-64 age group and 20.7 percent of those 65 and older said that it
was OK.
Baldwin, 53, did not share the outlook of most of his peers. Instead of
turning off his device along with the other passengers, Baldwin locked
himself in the bathroom to continue a round of “Words with Friends,” a
popular Scrabble-like game, on his phone. The flight was delayed and
Baldwin was escorted from the plane at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on a later flight to Kennedy International Airport in New York.