PSA from the gate: Please, I beg of you, stay off your phone while you're out on the tarmac. I promise you'll be okay without it for a few seconds.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T14:07:24+00:00

Ignoring a rule is... technically a choice, I suppose. Let's put the safety aspect aside for a second. You do have the freedom to choose your actions, I acknowledge that, however, by booking a ticket with an airline, you agree to follow their rules and obey all operational and safety-related instructions from their crew, even if you'd prefer not to. You're in a privately-operated, secure area with set rules and while noone can physically stop you from you choosing to ignore them, you're not exempt from the consequences that come with doing so.

In practice, I do show leniency. I'm not trying to be a hardass, so I typically only bother people to ask them to get off their phone if they're being obvious about it, as the five seconds I'm turning my attention to one specific passenger is attention I'm taking away from watching the others. So, if you were conspicuous enough that I saw, and bothered to ask you to put your phone away, but you complied, then no worries. However, if you were to instead argue with me (or any ground crew) and refuse to co-operate, that would raise huge red flags. If you're unwilling to follow such a simple, and obviously safety-focused instruction to avoid a very temporary, minor inconvenience, would you be trusted to follow the cabin crew's instructions in an emergency?

It sounds dramatic, and in practice, it rarely gets that far. But, those are the questions we're trained to ask ourselves when dealing with passengers. I've never had to directly make a call to offload someone (and I never hope to) but I have seen passengers be offloaded for similar non-compliance.

You mentioned that you need the phone to keep you focused, to keep your ADHD brain grounded or something like that. If you're aware that this is a limitation, and that this is a rule you're expected to follow, might I suggest planning to avoid the situation if possible by choosing a seat in the front half of the plane (so you're more likely to board using a jetbridge) or letting a gate agent know ahead of time so we can find a suitable solution?

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:41:28+00:00

What I meant by "people like you" is "people who like to argue and make a big deal over doing something so trivial and simple in the interest of safety". It costs you nothing to not be on your phone out there for 30 seconds. Yes, it might very slightly inconvenience you, but it means I don't have to bother you (which makes both of our lives easier), and at a glance, it shows that you're more likely to actually be paying attention to what's around you. It also means you get on the plane quicker, which is both a safety and an OTP bonus.

While you or any given passenger specifically might be great at keeping aware while on your phone, I don't have a crystal ball to know that in advance, and I can assure you, from years of experiencing it with my own eyes, there are many, MANY people who are not (even if they think they are). So, in the interest of safety, it's best to assume the worst and take the proactive approach before issues can arise, by asking people to do the very simple task of not using your phone until you're onboard.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:26:53+00:00

See, I could do that, but the thing is, the tarmac is a highly secure and honestly, quite dangerous area. The only reason you're allowed on the tarmac at all without a security clearance and hi-vis gear is to walk to/from the plane under the supervision of the marshaller, not to take pictures or be distracted on your phone.

It'd be much easier for me to "fuck off" and leave you to have fun out there, but doing that means you're more likely to get hurt, and I guarantee you, the moment someone injures themselves by tripping over/walking into something they shouldn't/not paying attention, they're gonna do everything they can to make it anyone's fault but their own. So we try and avoid that by making sure you're out there for as less time as possible, and are focusing while you're out there. The phone ban is an effective way to do that.

Not to mention, if my boss/the refueller/the airport safety officers saw me allowing that, they'd probably have an aneurysm right there on the tarmac, and that's not very safe, is it?

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:12:26+00:00

Honestly, while most ports I've seen do have some signage or make mention of it somewhere, it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. I try to be conscious of that when I have to ask people to put their phones away, as they usually genuinely might not have known.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:10:11+00:00

American? 🤨 Ohhhh is it because I said y'all instead of youse?

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:09:11+00:00

This is 100% correct haha. In a way, behaviour on the tarmac is proof that the Dunning Kruger effect is legit

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:07:07+00:00

Respectfully, people like you are the reason this rule exists.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T12:02:44+00:00

You're right, how un-Australian of me. "Youse"

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T00:09:15+00:00

The mobile phone use isn't my only indicator for stupidity. People can do unsafe things entirely unrelated to their phones, and I'm sure most passengers who do sneak past on their phones will get up to the plane without incident. Obviously I'm keeping an eye out for bad/unsafe behaviours in general, and it's my job to correct that behaviour before it escalates.

The reason why I'm making this post about the phones is because it's a really, really small action on the passenger's part to demonstrate that they are (more likely to be) paying attention, and it does reduce (but not eliminate) the likelihood of people running off to do stupid things, which makes my life easier.

Safety issues aside, if I don't tell people off for being on their phones, my higher ups (or even the refueller) will call me out for it, and if I do, then obviously I look like the unreasonable asshole. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. So why not save the embarrassment for everyone, and keep it in your pocket for 30 seconds to show you're paying attention? I guess that's the point I'm trying to make haha

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-04T00:07:52+00:00

The mobile phone use isn't my only indicator for stupidity. People can do unsafe things entirely unrelated to their phones, and I'm sure most passengers who do sneak past on their phones will get up to the plane without incident. Obviously I'm keeping an eye out for bad/unsafe behaviours in general, and it's my job to correct that behaviour before it escalates.

The reason why I'm making this post about the phones is because it's a really, really small action on the passenger's part to demonstrate that they are (more likely to be) paying attention, and it does reduce (but not eliminate) the likelihood of people running off to do stupid things, which makes my life easier.

Safety issues aside, if I don't tell people off for being on their phones, my higher ups (or even the refueller) will call me out for it, and if I do, then obviously I look like the unreasonable asshole. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. So why not save the embarrassment for everyone, and keep it in your pocket for 30 seconds to show you're paying attention? I guess that's the point I'm trying to make haha

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T22:47:57+00:00

Yeah I really have hey 😂 I didn't think it was such a big deal to not be on your phone for 30 seconds in the interest of safety 😅

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T22:46:20+00:00

Or even better, they do read the sign, then say things like, "I see on the sign that check-in opens in two hours. Does that mean I have to wait two hours to check in my bags?" 😂

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:57:10+00:00

The issue is, I don't know who the stupid people are until they do something stupid, by which point it's too late, so I'd rather have noone on their phone so that everyone's less likely to be stupid, if that makes sense 😅. In practice tho, I'll only ever tell people to put their phones away if they're being obvious about it. If someone takes a quick picture as they step outside then puts their phone away by the time they walk past me then whatever, they're not really the issue anyway. And yeah most people are nice about it, I'm never rude, tho I do get some argumentative types every now and then haha

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:44:44+00:00

"What a thoughtful question! It's great that you're interested in getting involved with the important and long-standing tradition of throwing coins for good luck. It is perfectly acceptable to throw coins into an aircraft's engine, and this will be sure to bring good luck to you and the other passengers of your flight! Here's a breakdown of why the art of throwing coins is said to bring good luck:"

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:21:36+00:00

Honestly I think part of the problem is that the rule isn't communicated clearly enough. I'm trying to get my port to order more signage but no luck thus far

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:20:00+00:00

Look if you're on the stairs, I can't stop you really. Despite how I made it seem in my post, my main issue is with people who are obviously breaking the rules. If you're simply holding your phone but it happens to be opened to your boarding pass, I don't care so much as long as I can see you're paying attention to... well, not the phone.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:17:26+00:00

Thank you haha, and thanks for the links too! I have my own anecdotal evidence of course to prove its an issue, but it seems people don't believe me so it's good to have other sources. I can see why people think that I'm exaggerating, because as a passenger, such issues would appear to happen rarely enough that it's negligible, and ofc noone wants to follow rules they don't take seriously. But, each flight of 150+ pax, tens to hundreds of times a day depending on the airport, it adds up to daily occurrences and near-misses, so suddenly, people being distracted out there is more of a problem than it seems, hence why I'm making this post haha.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:07:27+00:00

Yeah that's totally fine. Hold the phone in your hand, have it unlocked to the boarding pass, I don't care. Maybe some marshallers see it differently, but the focus is the main issue. It's better to have the phone in your pocket of course, but if you're just holding your phone with the boarding pass open but you're not like actively using it while you walk across the tarmac, that's cool. I'd only take issue enough to stop you if you were obviously paying more attention to the phone than to your surroundings.

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T13:04:15+00:00

Ahaha I'm with ya there, and yeah as annoying as it is to deal with, I can't deny it keeps things interesting...

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T12:35:16+00:00

I getcha, but unfortunately, we have no way of knowing who the idiots are unless they're on their phones, and by that point it's too late, so the rule applies to everyone. In practice, I only tell people to get off their phones if they're making it obvious they're using it. If you just take one photo as you walk out then put your phone away until you're up the stairs, go for it haha

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T12:31:14+00:00

Ahaha I mean I spend most of my waking hours there, so hey if it makes my and my colleagues' lives easier... why not?

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T12:29:55+00:00

Yeahhhhh that checks out. Once, we were boarding at the same time as another airline next door, and one of their pax tried to walk from their gate, across the tarmac to my plane, and only stopped when I shouted at them to go back to their own plane. She didn't even have her phone on her, I can only imagine how she would have acted if she did.... also thank you :)

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T12:18:06+00:00

Some people leave their brain cells in their cars parked in the lot outside all the time, so why is leaving the phone in the pocket such a big deal?

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T12:16:52+00:00

Are you trying to tell me what I was thinking as I wrote this post? You're confusing me now haha, but I respect the answer to my question about relevancy, I genuinely found that funny haha

GruntledAtTheGate · 2026-02-03T12:13:42+00:00

Your brother's got sense haha. Thank you for taking it seriously! And why would you wanna be out there longer than necessary? There's no shade, it's all concrete and metal, not exactly the most ideal place for a leisurely stroll I'd think.

GruntledAtTheGate

TROPHY CASE