Mobile phones and Cabin Baggage
Recently returned from an eventful trip on Qatar Airways from Doha. Due to snow at Manchester we were diverted from the hold to Birmingham where we spent two hours on the ground before a successful attempt was made to return to Manchester but then had to wait on the taxiway until a stand was vacated. Most of my fellow passengers assumed we had reached the stand and the usual free for all took place as they removed their baggage from the overhead bins and then stood in the aisles. Even after PA calls from the flight deck and the cabin crew to sit down there were still many standing and the aisles were effectively blocked. If an emergency situation had developed it would have been total chaos. Most of this time the lockers were still open and many pax were on mobiles having taken no notice of calls to switch them off. When we landed at Manchester two small children in nearby seats weren't even strapped in but were lying flat out under the armrest! I got the distinct impression that the cabin crew had retreated to the galley area and left the cabin to the passengers. There was one young female cabin crew who did remain at her post by an emergency door but with only 3 months experience it was obvious that she was out of her depth.
I feel that the use of mobile phones should be allowed when the aircraft is shut down and waiting for restart but that the passengers should be informed when it is safe to do so. Also the size of cabin baggage should be addressed by check in staff as the rules are patently not being adhered to and that is a flight safety issue. My background of 2000 hours on Britannia and VC10 aircraft was as an Air Loadmaster so I was fortunate in being able to order unruly pax to do as they were told.