Safety on flights

Safety on flights

While flying to Denpasar from Dili on May 1 with Merpati, none
of the crew announced, as they should, that mobile phones or
other electronic devices cannot be used during the flight.

While flying over Lombok, a mobile phone started ringing and a
person seated a few rows in front of me received SMS messages.

The crew did not intervene and I had to shout to this guy to
switch off his phone since nobody around him seemed to care.

When we eventually and, thank God, safely landed in Denpasar,
I asked the crew why they did not intervene and the answer I got
was of an unacceptable dismissive nature.

I tried to contact the security officers below the plane but
they too started smiling, or worse, laughing at my request, and
tried to dismiss the case as not being important. They were
apparently surprised that I was concerned with this very
superficial and inexcusable attitude.

The case dragged on inside the arrival hall where I again
tried to find the security personnel in charge but nobody seemed
to care about my request. The case became extremely worrying when
the captain almost physically attacked me while shouting that I
should not dare criticize his crew.

Instead of asking for forgiveness for the inexcusable behavior
of his crew, he pointed his finger very close to my face, while
shouting and assuming a position such as that of a man ready to
assault someone.

Well, I am ready to accept any kind of intimidation from
anyone, especially in the case of a clear breach of international
regulations regarding the safety of passengers on board
commercial flights.

The superficial and dismissive attitude of the crew should be
followed up by the Merpati management in earnest and their
conclusions should be made public.

GIUSEPPE VERDACCHI
Denpasar, Bali