Have you ever been on a plane waiting for your flight to take off, and the passenger next to you is checking the latest messages on their cell phone?
You must have felt anxious and insecure about the fact that using his phone or not switching to airplane mode could put you and all the passengers at risk!
But what really happens if someone forgets to turn that little switch? Why is airplane mode required?
In 2013, after talking to pilots, passengers, aviation manufacturers and representatives of mobile technology, the Federal Aviation Administration officially decreed that passengers could keep their phones on during flights, as long as they were set to airplane mode .
"The industry has had several reports over the years linking cell phone use to system malfunctions, and while systems have improved, industry regulators are taking a cautious view because of the security implications," a spokesman for an international airline said in a statement. a statement.
Cell phone signals can interfere with aircraft navigation and landing guidance systems."
"It's rare, but it still happens that there is interference with certain types of cell phones or a combination of multiple cell phones still on," says Bobby Laurie, a former flight attendant.
"The best way a pilot explained it to me was, if you've ever left your cell phone next to a speaker, just before it went off, you'd hear that clicking noise from the speaker," explains Laurie, "that's something they hear in the headset them and on the loudspeaker system in the flight deck when they are communicating."
And when you're flying an airplane, the last thing you want is any extra noise while communicating and concentrating.
"Practically, there is no effect on the aircraft, but without [safety] certification, the use of the 3G/4G band cannot be allowed," says Matti Keskinarkaus, Finnair's deputy chief fleet pilot.
Do some countries allow passengers to use their phone without airplane mode?
Yes. Both the UK and the EU have recently allowed airlines in its member states to start offering 5G to passengers in the air, making airplane mode a thing of the past. UK and EU officials were given a deadline of June 30, 2023, to make 5G frequency bands available to airlines.