http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/05130=
8dnmetpassenger.f2feb5b0.html?npc
Austin man charged after refusing to hang up cellphone during
Southwest Airlines flight
Monday, May 12, 2008
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News
An Austin businessman was charged with disorderly conduct after he
allegedly refused to stop using his mobile phone on a flight Monday
from Austin to Dallas Love Field.
Dallas police met the plane after the pilot radioed ahead to the Love
Field tower. They cited Joe David Jones, 50, president of an Austin-
based environmental start-up company called Skyonic Corp., with the
Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500.
The incident occurred as a Southwest flight from Austin began its
descent into Dallas.
"After multiple requests, the flight attendants were not successful in
getting the passenger to get off the phone," Southwest spokeswoman
Brandy King said.
According to the police report, Mr. Jones was asked to turn off his
cellphone and responded, "Kiss my [expletive]." When asked again, he
said, "Kiss my [expletive]. Not happening."
According to the police report, Mr. Jones remained on the phone about
20 minutes. When officers met Mr. Jones at the gate, he continued to
exhibit disorderly conduct, police said.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit any use of mobile
phones except when the aircraft is on the ground. Airlines can be
fined up to $25,000 if they permit cellphone use during a flight, and
individuals also can face fines, Ms. King said.
Mr. Jones was unavailable for comment Monday, but his spokesman, Mark
Clayton, said the businessman had received a message that his father's
heart had stopped beating and tried several times to reach officials
in the cardiac unit where his father was being treated.
"He did express regrets for any inconvenience, but due to the life and
death circumstances, he felt he needed to make the call," Mr. Clayton
said.
Beth Harbin, a Southwest spokeswoman, said that although the carrier
sympathizes with Mr. Jones' situation, "it was a safety regulation
that we're required to enforce, and we're simply not in a position to
make exceptions."
Incidents involving passengers and cellphone use are relatively rare,
Ms. Harbin said. Southwest has recorded 26 incidents of mobile-phone
abuse so far this year, and only one of those escalated into a report
to the FAA.
While there have been high-profile examples of people using mobile
phones during a flight =96 such as during the Sept. 11 attacks =96 studies
have shown some potential for interference with an airplane's
navigation and communications systems.
In-flight cellphone use is also prohibited by the Federal
Communications Commission because of possible interference with
wireless networks on the ground. The FCC has considered lifting the
ban, beginning in 2004, but ended those discussions last year.
However, mobile-phone use has been approved by European regulators,
and a satellite-based service is being tested by Air France on one of
its Airbus A318 planes for flights within Europe and North Africa.
The airline Emirates launched service with a similar system on one of
its Airbus A340-300 airplanes in March and has said it will spend $27
million to equip its entire fleet.
In the U.S., demand for such a service has been relatively low. A
survey by Forrester Research showed less than 16 percent of travelers
wanted to make calls during flights, compared with 55 percent who
would like broadband Internet access.
Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt said the use of mobile phones in
the cabin raises another risk: air rage.
"No one wants to sit next to a Chatty Cathy talking about their latest
conquest," he said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
---------------------------
http://skyonic.com/directorsOfficers.php
JOE JONES, PRESIDENT AND CEO
Joe Jones, President and CEO of Skyonic, earned a BS in Chemical
Engineering from the University of Texas and spent the first 25 years
of his career in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, working at
Texas Industries, Cypress Semiconductors, and others. He participated
in the start-up and operation of five wafer-fabrication plants (TI,
AMD, and Cypress), the development of one of the first fabless
semiconductor companies (Ross Technology), and an independent
outsource semiconductor company he founded (BridgePoint Technical
Manufacturing). His credits include numerous contributions to the
chemistry of wafer-fabrication and semiconductor testing, and his goal
is to apply the low-energy lessons he learned in semiconductor
development to the problem of creating a low-energy method of
sequestering CO2. A businessman, as well as an engineer and an
environmentalist, Joe left his position as CEO of BridgePoint when his
belief in the need for clean, sustainable energy led him to begin
development of the SkyMine=99 technology and found Skyonic Corporation
in 2005.
MARK CLAYTON, VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE RELATIONS
Mark Clayton joined Skyonic as Vice President of Corporate Relations
in March of 2007 after spending almost 30 years in the semiconductor
industry where he worked in engineering, quality, marketing, and
sales. He is alumnus of Texas Instruments, Aeronca Electronics,
Silicon Materials Service, Rodel, and Wacker Siltronic. He has a BA in
Chemistry from Austin College and an MA in Education, and has also
worked as an educator. Mark is also a scout leader, and believes very
strongly in clean energy development to benefit the next generation. |
