Senator Charles E. Schumer apologized on Wednesday for using a crude term to refer to a flight attendant who had asked him to turn his cellphone off on a US Airways plane before takeoff.

Mr. Schumer and his fellow Democratic senator from New York, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, were seated next to each other on the New York-to-Washington flight on Sunday, and both were talking on their cellphones, according to Politico.com, which first reported the incident. After an announcement that cellphones must be turned off, both senators initially kept talking on their phones.

Ms. Gillibrand ended her call, but Mr. Schumer kept talking.

The flight attendant then approached Mr. Schumer and told him the entire plane was waiting for him to shut off his phone. Mr. Schumer ended the call, but then argued that he was entitled to keep his phone on until the cabin door closed.