Chinese passengers have been shown some leeway from authorities when it comes to bomb threats, multiple fights, and the use of the emergency exit as a way to get off the plane quicker. However, the one thing that won’t be tolerated is talking on the phone, a criminal act that can get you put in jail—immediately.

A passenger named Miss Yu made a call on a cell phone despite being told to stop, and was punished with five days in jail as a result.

The Changchun-Beijing flight was on its descent last December 28 when Yu took out her phone and used it to call someone. After being told to stop by an airline attendant and briefly complying, Yu again resumed using her phone. She kept doing so despite repeated requests by the flight attendant to stop, all while apparently having a “malicious attitude”.

However, after landing, Yu was taken in by the Beijing Capital International Airport Public Security Bureau. Miss Yu told police she didn’t realize talking on the phone during flight was so serious, and said she often makes calls on board planes.

The report says Yu “saw the error in her ways” after police explained how phone calls could interfere with flight navigation equipment. She was then sent to jail for five days.

According to the “Punishment Given by Public Security Management” regulations, anyone that interferes with the operation of a airliner through the normal use of a device and does not listen to repeated warnings can be punished with five days in jail.

Under another law, users of cell phones or computers that interfere with the operation of an airplane can be fined RMB 2,000.

Photo: Shenzhen PSB