Do we still need to put mobile/cell phones to airplane mode?
Posted by genebands@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 35 comments
I have been wondering about this for a while and thought this is the right place to ask this with so many aviation experts.
Do we still need to put mobile/cell phones to airplane mode? I still do it every time before the take off to minimize any interference with radio, but I'm not sure if that's even the right reason for it.
My questions are:
- Why do we need to turn on the airplane mode?
- At what point it's most important to do so?- taxi, take off? Seems to me most communication happens before the actual take off stretch, so do we have to do this as soon as we sit down?
- So many people continue using their phones and no one really enforces it, so it's not that big a deal safety wise?
- Is there more recent technology that minimizes interference that this is not enforced at all?
Thank you for any information in part or full. I'm aware I'm sounding pretty naive at this point.
BestSpot513@reddit
Yes, you are required to put your phone on airplane mode by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airlines for takeoff and landing, as cell signals can interfere with aircraft communication and navigation, potentially causing annoying noise in pilot headsets. While modern planes are shielded and a crash is unlikely, the restriction ensures safety, especially in low-visibility, and prevents network issues.
sanshack@reddit
I am a flight attendant, the reason for airplane mode first and foremost is it is mandated by the FAA. Second, it could cause safety concerns with navigation, communication and pilot headsets. Most people are afraid to enforce anything anymore because people are so volatile. However, when you do get the person. Who enforces the requirements and you still refuse to comply you face causing delays which result in the offender getting a very hefty fine from the FAA (last I heard was $13,390 for not complying with airplane mode and continuing to use her phone) and there is potential to lose the ability to fly as well. Even the crew has to follow these same requirements.
Tell me why it is so hard to follow rules that are in place to protect you 🤯
Minimum_Author_4964@reddit
From my understanding, the caution was bore out of radio frequency concerns. Which I suppose given the recent goings on with figuring out 5G is warranted. But I’m not actually sure if interference is likely.
However, I think the ongoing continued “requirement” (quotes because it’s not really enforced) is actually based on an understanding between airlines (or maybe FAA, not sure which specifically) and cell companies for the sake of their cell towers. It can be a strain on cell tower functionality when people flying in a metal tube hundreds of miles an hour are trying to ping available cell towers, compared to in a car for example.
pishposh421@reddit
If this was the case then buses would require airplane mode as well.
poopybob33@reddit
… I don’t think buses go hundreds of miles per hour
Astral_Drago@reddit
Trains though
SpaceAlarmed1327@reddit
In the U.S Amtrak trains can only go 79 miles an hour
Astral_Drago@reddit
Seriously? We need to get that speed up.
SpaceAlarmed1327@reddit
Yeah but unfortunately all rail tracks in the U.S are owned by one company so they get to make all the rules and they will favor freight and coal over passenger because it makes them more money that’s also why Amtrak has so many delays because they have to let freight go before them.
Astral_Drago@reddit
Aren’t monopolies illegal? How are they allowed to own every track?
SpaceAlarmed1327@reddit
Yes they are and for a while it was 2 companies Union Pacific and BNSF but Union Pacific was bought out by BNSF and no other companies are willing to throw there hand in the ring because I really wouldn’t be worth it because air travel and delivery is way more efficient then train for most light weight cargo so it’s just a pointless investment
Bubbly_Group_3861@reddit
Haha! Union Pacific was not bought out by BNSF.
Astral_Drago@reddit
Yeah, apparently it isn’t considered a monopoly because it falls under transportation. IMO it shouldn’t matter because they are the only player in a certain type of transportation, cars, planes, and boats serve different purposes and therefore shouldn’t have a bearing on train monopolies.
Bubbly_Group_3861@reddit
All rail tracks in the US are not owned by one company.
Its_Actually_Satan@reddit
That would be delightful though
Massive-Virus-4875@reddit
Like the Knight Bus in Harry Potter!
Sensitive_Club_3381@reddit
Yet...
CautiousTransition87@reddit
youre insane to think this! mph determine a lot of the cell towers pingin literally guy just responded this.
TravelerMSY@reddit
It’s to comply with the law is the main reason.
I haven’t taken it too seriously though. If it was that much of a hazard to aviation, they would not allow them on board at all.
Agreeable_Company372@reddit
So the rules don't apply to you?
deerskillet@reddit
The rules only apply to those that follow them
Bright_Fan_3913@reddit
Sybau 🥀
Icy-Sheepherder9938@reddit
O
Icy-Sheepherder9938@reddit
Da ,
Icy-Sheepherder9938@reddit
I'll
2
UnderstandingOk1943@reddit
Yes because the Chem trails can leak if it gets an early signal
Ok-Economist7563@reddit
Hahaha
Professional_Elk4948@reddit
They just want you to buy the inflight wifi
alzee76@reddit
To avoid interfering with cellular service on the ground when the plane is at relatively low altitude. It has nothing to do with the aircraft systems.
From a technical standpoint, from immediately after takeoff until the plane is at a high enough altitude that the phone can no longer receive ground signals. From a practical standpoint, whenever the crew tells you to.
Airplane mode only turns off the cellular radio. You're still free to use wifi and bluetooth, and to use the phone itself for apps, games, whatever.
New technologies are almost always more resilient than older ones, but interference isn't the issue anyway.
ShortfallofAardvark@reddit
To add to that, the biggest problem with interfering with cell service on the ground is that if a large plane full of people comes close to a cell tower and nobody has airplane mode on, the tower can get overwhelmed by a sudden surge in usage. It’s better to have people slowly turn cell service back in than have everybody connect at once.
pishposh421@reddit
Then why don’t busses have airplane mode requirements? There are not that many people on an airplane.
Undisputed_chael@reddit
Are you stupid
ShortfallofAardvark@reddit
On a bus you’ll have consistent cell service throughout the journey and will be receiving messages and calls the whole way, so you’re not necessarily burdening one cell tower with hours worth of data for hundreds of phones all at once. Also a bus might have up to 100 people at most whereas a large airliner might have upwards of 400 people on it
washingbeard@reddit
One thing that I've seen get left out of this discussion in the past is that rules and regulations tend to be written to protect against the worst case, not the nominal case, so anecdotal evidence like "my phone has never interfered with anything in my aircraft" is not necessarily even relevant to the intent of the restriction. Even with every commercially available cellular device being designed operate in a way that should be safe for use around aircraft, there's always the hypothetical possibility that one passenger has an individual device that has been damaged or improperly modified in such a way that it has a much higher transmit power than intended and causes a problem as a result. Not that airplane mode is a guaranteed protection against that scenario, but it's more than zero protection.
That said, after a decade of almost everyone carrying a cell phone at all times and a constant stream of passengers forgetting about or not bothering with airplane mode, it seems fairly clear that Joe Passenger's damaged phone is much more likely to catch fire during flight than it is to produce interference that is harmful to the plane.
JawKnee5ive@reddit
It would be so easy to be a terrorist if that were true... It is so unlikely. I'd be more worried about door plugs falling off.