Roland Perry writes:

In message , at 13:38:02 on Fri, 6
Apr 2012, " remarked:
a lot of people used their phones while we were taxiing.

Quite a few airlines now allow use of mobile phones when you are taxiing
*in*. And if you are flying Business Class they aren't quite as shouty
about you turning them off immediately the plane pushes back, on the way
out.

Because business class is where an airline gets most of its revenue
from. Get shorty with a businessman and he tells his travel
department that they were not nice, which could translate into less
revenue for the airline.

But if sayyyyfteeee is their prime concern, then a ban would apply
equally to all passengers.

yes, but surely the safety aspect does not 'kick in' until at least the
departing plane is at the end of the runway and about to start
accelerating for takeoff. So maybe the airlines think that they can
trust the business class passengers to turn off the phones before the
critical time.