Yes, on an airplane, the entire flight crew is like a police force. Just like police, as long as they give you a legal order, you must do it. Otherwise you are in violation of disobeying a flight crew member. Which is punishable with a fine up to 25 grand. And if you cause too much commotion, they can detain you to have you arrested upon landing. Most airliners have plastic handcuffs (basically fancy tie wraps) on board for just this reason.
I'm a pilot, I fly private airplanes. If I, as PIC (pilot in command) tell my passenger that they must fasten their seatbelt and they do not, I can have them arrested when I land. They violated the law. As a passenger in an airplane in US airspace, you agree to all laws for being a passenger in an airplane. This would be an extreme thing that I would never personally do, but I'd be within my right if I did so.
If I tell them not to touch any buttons and they do, the same thing can result. Thats interference with a flight crew member, that's a crime.
Of course if I tell a girl I'm on a date with and taking up in a small airplane for her first flight that he has to give me head while we're flying, she doesn't have to comply and I can be arrested for a sex crime. That's not a legal request. But if I say you have to put on your seatbelt and you don't, bye bye birdie (if I choose to do so).
No games are played when you're talking about airplanes carrying hundreds of people at 500mph. But the same set of rules applies to small airplanes carrying a handful of people.
If anyone here has more experience with the FAA, flying aircraft, working on aircraft and working AROUND aircraft, than I do and they don't agree with what I say, by all means, speak up. But if your only experience with flying is buying a ticket, I'd say you really don't have the experience to make your opinion worth a plug nickle.
