Make Believe Laws on Photography Onboard

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)

  • iflypremium
    Participant

    A very interesting debate is taking place at airliners.net regarding photographing and filming onboard flights.

    Unsurprisingly KLM feature in it who a few years ago had me met by security in Amsterdam as crew “thought” I had been taking their photos in secret. I emphasise the word “thought”. Racial profiling followed and I would never fly this awful airline ever again.

    The mere sight of their aircraft makes my stomach turn although they are no strangers to racism (think Nigeria,Mexico and now Korea).

    Anyway I digress (fixes collar and clears throat !).

    I definately think it is not ok to film or photograph crews or passengers without their consent.

    In this day of bloggers and vloggers airlines need a much more friendlier approach (think Josh Cahill who is always in trouble with one airline or another for filming yet Sam Chui literally gets the red carpet treatment everywhere !)

    Surely if airlines want to showcase their inflight product,they should encourage onboard photography ? Personally I only film take off and landing but do photograph and blog the whole experience from checkin upto landing and I am mindful to not photograph anyone. I blur out faces if any appear in error.

    On a recent Thai Airways flight whilst having photos with the crew,the Inflight Manager told me that it is nice to ask for permission rather than sit photographing others randomly.

    What is everyone’s thought on this ? Anyone dealt with paranoid crew who will call police or who have made up rules that “it is against policy”.

    For such a public facing job,some crew really need to switch on to the 21st century where everyone has a smartphone and wants to document their experience. Not to say you have the right to take photos of people if you feel like it. But being draconian towards someone photographing a seat,meal etc is just exertion of authority,is pointless and leaves most genuine passengers upset.

    Follow the topic at ;

    https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1442255&start=50


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I am not sure what different airlines say about photography on board. I any case it would be ‘conditions of carriage’ not ‘law’, unless national law in the country of registration or overflight of the aircraft applies.

    Nor do I understand why people want to ‘blog’ and ‘vlog’ everything, it seems infantile to me. By all means document your travel experiences for yourself and friends/family, but why put it in the public domain? I sometime glance at those Josh Cahill and Sam Chui ramblings when my attention is drawn to them in a news feed or similar, and I find them valueless, puerile and pathetic.

    Photographing seats, meals, menus, etc is quite different to photographing crew members, or other pax, which I wouldn’t do, firstly because I think it’s rude, and secondly because I see no value.

    everyone has a smartphone and wants to document their experience.

    How many people have you interviewed to arrive at this surprising conclusion?

    I have been threatened with police action for photographing bus drivers using their phones for texting whilst driving a public bus on a public road. I wanted proof to report them to the operator concerned. When I contacted the police about this, to establish my rights, they said I was not breaking any law.

    I was also threatened with the police for taking photos of the exchange rates at an airport Moneygram currency exchange bureau. The woman told me it was ‘illegal to take photographs at an airport, inside or outside. The airport police told me that apart from security areas and officials, there are no restrictions, although they advised against taking pictures of other people’s children.

    As an aside, I have flown KLM a lot and in my experience they are anything but ‘an awful airline’. One of the best.

    8 users thanked author for this post.

    iflypremium
    Participant

    Hi capetonianm 🙂

    I always read your posts with a passion as you articulate your points very politely without being rude which is a nice quality to have and shows respect to others.

    I have not interviewed anyone but should have said that everyone has a smartphone and a great many people like to take photos be it for Instagram or evidential purposes or even just to inform/humour others.

    I am sad to see you find blogging and vlogging “infantile”. I love flying and I love writing. Blogging marries my two loves nicely.

    Those who say it is illegal to take photos of non security areas/staff/passengers are ill informed, poorly trained and extremely paranoid.

    An ex colleague has just joined Qatar Airways as a Stewardess and they had a whole morning’s training just on social media.

    Anyway I just wanted to always ask and no offence intended, but were you previously VintageKrug ?

    Have a nice evening 🙂

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I have wondered for some time how the FAA/JAA/CAA allow pilots to fix numerous cameras to the flight deck windscreen to video working of cockpit, yet a simple still taken by a passenger can result is draconian reaction from airport security.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Johnnyg
    Participant

    As a keen photographer and someone who likes to do ‘street photography’ from time to time, anyone can take photographs in a public place without permission provided it is not of children or an invasion of privacy i.e. in a building, as to bloggers and vloggers some do it out of vanity but all want the street cred and possible sponsorships that could follow. Sam Chui does it for the love of it and pays for the majority of his flights himself unless invited to events.

    I agree about pilots to a certain extent but I can recommend Christiaan van Heijst who is an amazing vlogger, well worth a look. No peurile commentry from him just superb descriptions of his flights as a cargo pilot.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I love flying and I love writing.

    As do I, but I don’t choose to share it in the public domain in the way that ‘bloggers’ do. I find these flight ‘blogs’ boring, often badly written, and really of little value. Fine, perhaps that’s just me. Obviously plenty of people enjoy them so I maybe shouldn’t condemn it so harshly, but I’ve given my view and I stand by it.

    I have only ever used my current username on this site, although I think at one time I used ‘capetonian1’ or something similar and when I forgot the password and the ‘retrieve’ didn’t work, I created the current one. VintageKrug was not me, in any incarnation.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    SimonS1
    Participant

    [postquote quote=992380][/postquote]

    Interesting, but there is a difference between loving travel and writing, and others being interested in your travel and writing. For me, most of the blogger type sites are insanely boring starring people with voices best for silent movies.

    I wonder where VK is these days.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    Somebody on this site needs to seriously grow up, or grow a pair of small spherical objects.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    This reply has been reported for inappropriate content.

    I am not sure what different airlines say about photography on board. I any case it would be ‘conditions of carriage’ not ‘law’, unless national law in the country of registration or overflight of the aircraft applies.


    PlaneSpeaking
    Participant

    Whatever happened to Vintage Krug?


    iflypremium
    Participant

    Would be interesting to know !


    iflypremium
    Participant

    Ludicrous is not the word as to whoever believes capetonianm has said anything inappropriate. capetonianm although always giving their opinion,is always respectful of others. Please keep the forum civil and nice #bekind

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    Poshgirl58
    Participant

    About six months ago, I was invited to write a blog for a plane spotters site. Subscribed to lots of newsletters, including Sam Chui. Whilst I admire him if he’s funding most of the trips, found his newsletter annoying. Everything he wrote claimed “you read this first at samchui…”. Most topics appeared on other sites before his, so think it was either a “marketing” ploy or he’d tweeked the article to avoid copyright issues. Binned it after a few weeks! Wasn’t impressed with Josh Cahill either. There’s a Scandinavian guy, Nonstop Dan, who’s very informative. Paul Lucas does lots of short haul flights including UK and train journeys too.

    Going back to the subject, I would always ask permission whether taking photos or using a quote then add an acknowledgement to recognise their source. Captain Richard de Crespigny (QF32) willingly supplied a personalised version of his Twitter post for the ninth anniversary. Don’t know if he ever looked at the site to see what I’d written!

    Social media has a lot to answer for; good and bad.


    esselle
    Participant

    Suspect his cork was left out too long, resulting in a flat and lifeless wine.


    canucklad
    Participant

    [quote quote=992363]For such a public facing job,some crew really need to switch on to the 21st century where everyone has a smartphone and wants to document their experience. Not to say you have the right to take photos of people if you feel like it. But being draconian towards someone photographing a seat,meal etc is just exertion of authority,is pointless and leaves most genuine passengers upset.[/quote]

    Hi SkyHigh

    I’d like to ask you a question or 3 if you don’t mind ?
    And I’m making the assumption like me that you have a fixed place /environment of work , where you pretty much earn your crust.

    1)Would you feel comfortable if a total stranger entered your environment with a film crew in tow and started recording life in and around you?
    2)And would you be happy with the prospect of that film being shared globally without your consent ?
    3)Further with the facial recognition technology now available would you be comfortable putting yourself and colleagues at risk from yet unknown strangers using that technology for sinister means ?

    If you are , then credit to you, because I personally wouldn’t .

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    iflypremium
    Participant

    Hi canucklad 🙂

    Naturally I would not like any old tom,dick or harry or photographing me anywhere.

    However if I was a crewmember I would not be paranoid about someone photographing a seat,meal etc.

    It is polite to ask crew for a souvenier photo. But they are not obliged to pose but similarly are the face of the airline and it would only bring positive publicity.

    Airline Staff for over 2 decades so not fixed in one place !

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