There is absolutely no reason why they should of made him turn off the iphone considering there is no risk in its airplane mode and most probably no risk in the radio mode either..

Have you never watched an in flight movie. I thought it was a requirement that the movie is crap before the airlines will consider it.

Judging by the title of the article, I expected to read that he was watching German pornography.

I could not agree more... how many times did I have to see & hear stupid people contaminating their environment with their consumption of stupid "entertainment" media.

The headline and subtitle really say it all. Thanks for my first good laugh of the day.

Yes... in a country where airline pilots go to work drunk, this is totally inadmissible.

I fly for a living. Not as a passenger, as a pilot. I have worked for a few airlines, and each one sees the FCC interference rules a bit differently. There have been a FEW cases of interference, but most phones, even when active and calling, don't cause any problems. Most electronics don't for that matter. During takeoff and landings, I can understand being overly cautious, but 5+ hour flights are unbearable without some form of entertainment. The seatback in front of you does NOT count. It happens more times than not, that a flight attendant sees something electronic and has someone shut it off during cruise for no reason. 

If it happens to you, ask if you can leave it on before you start your descent, and be nice about it. They'll generally let you keep it. Fly Happy and Safe.