UA says No Pictures can be taken in FY! But wait....

Klint, atravel blogger who writes for the website Upgrd.com, was traveling to Baku, Azerbaijan, via Istanbul on Feb. 14, when he was asked by a flight attendant to stop taking pictures of his business class seat. Klint, who says he’d only taken one picture, apologized and tried to explain his actions. “I want you to understand why I was taking pictures. I hope you didn’t think I was a terrorist,” he reportedly said.

That wasn’t enough to pacify the flight attendant, however, who later directed him to a policy printed in the airline’s in-flight magazine:

The use of still and video cameras, film or digital, including any cellular or other devices that have this capability, is permitted only for recording of personal events. Photography or audio or video recording of other customers without their express prior consent is strictly prohibited. Also, unauthorized photography or audio or video recording of airline personnel, aircraft equipment or procedures is always prohibited. Any photography (video or still) or voice or audio recording or transmission while on any United Airlines aircraft is strictly prohibited, except to the extent specifically permitted by United Airlines.

Soon after, as Klint wrote on his blog, an airline representative boarded the plane and asked him to disembark — noting that the pilot didn’t feel “comfortable” with him on the flight. Klint appealed to the captain, who accused him of ignoring a flight attendant’s instructions and reportedly told him to get off before he got the police involved. Klint was put on a later flight and missed his connection in Istanbul.

United Airlines spokesman Rahsaan Johnson told NBC News that the airline has reached out to Klint in an effort to reconcile the damage. Johnson cited security reasons, stating that, “[United] crews may need to restrict photography onboard, particularly when customers are taking photos of other customers or crew members without consent.” However, Klint maintains that he took only one picture for his blog – a shot of a business-class seat’s in-flight entertainment system.
The airline subsequently reached out to Klint, and while it offered no apology Klint wrote in an update that he was reasonably satisfied with the airline’s actions. Still, he noted, it would take a bit for United to earn his trust back: “I want to see the airline move in a direction that no passenger is ever again put in the position that I was.”

Eeeeek!

Wow. Why didn't the FA just ask to see the photo before reporting him? Seems like that would have been the prudent thing to do.

The F/A in this situation was absolutely correct. It's the same reason you are not allowed to take photos of the train cars/tracks at Grand Central Station (It's not the law, but they will ask you to stop, and have you arrested for trespassing if you refuse to obtain the transit police's instructions). It's a security measure to prevent people from using detailed photographs of equipment (trains/planes/automobiles) used in public transporatation (an airline being a commonc carrier, and obviously having been preivously used in a terrorist act certainly falls into this category) to plan any kind of maliscious act (i.e. Let's study the layout of this aircraft to see the least visible place from any angle where we could hide something, etc.)

Whether or not you agree with it/think it's fair, this IS the rule, and the flight attendant was simply informing the passenger of the rule. He/She even went the extra mile to show the passenger the wording of the rule, proving he/she was not simply trying to be difficult.

Also, when I read something that someone said like "I hope you didn't think I was a terrorist", followed by being asked to leave the plane, followed by a claim of discrimination, I highly doubt he said EXACTLY that, and nothing inflammatory whatsoever to the flight crew. Flight crews don't delay flights and open themselves up to potential litigiaton (not to mention lose a business class customer) for no reason. I'm sure there is a LOT being left out about exactly how he responded to being told what he was told. Maybe he left out the part where he asked the flight attendant if she/he "Knew who he was?!" or maybe he said all this a little too loudly whilst on his 3rd cocktail before takeoff...we don't know the circumstances and if they aren't in favor of the blogger, I sincerely doubt we ever will.

Long story short, if you don't want to follow the rules, or the instructions of the flight crew, don't fly. And certainly don't whine about it later.

I take pics of my seat on every flight, of my meals too.
Never had any crew even bat an eye......