‘Get off the plane,’Delta passengers chant at flyer who refuses to hang up phone

A Delta Air Lines flight passenger was removed froma plane in Miamiafter refusing to end a phone call before takeoff, causing a delay and enraging other travelers.

Crew members repeatedly told the passenger to hang up while the plane was taxiing, but the person refused to get off the phone and escalated thedisruptive behavior, the airline said.

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“The safety of our customers and crew comes before all else, and Delta has zero tolerance for disruptive behavior,� 

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“We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”

A Delta passenger in Miami was taken off a flight (not pictured) after refusing to end a phone call before takeoff, delaying other passengers in their travels.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The plane returned to the gate, where the passenger was removed.

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Theflight then departedabout an hour later than scheduled, according to flight tracker Cirium.

Other passengers (not pictured) grew frustrated as the situation unfolded, with some urging the person to be considerate.(iStock)

Flight attendants later informed travelers everyone would need to deplane.

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“So, we’re all supposed to listen, and he doesn’t?” another passenger said.

“So we’re all supposed to listen, and he doesn’t?” 

Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog“View From the Wing,�

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“FAA rules require passengers to follow airline procedures, which generally require airplane mode once a plane’s doors are closed,” Leff said.

Due to the disruptive incident, the flight was delayed by roughly one hour.(Aaron E.Martinez/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

He noted that while a single phone is unlikely to interfere with aircraft systems, concerns remain about multiple devices transmitting signals at once.

“No one thinksa single iPhoneis going to break a 787,” Leff said.“The concern … is that operating together and at scale many devices used by all passengers could create these issues.

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“I do have to wonder, though, about a passenger whojust refusesto get off their call,” Leff said. 

“That’s going to end badly.”