Here's Why Airlines Want You to Use Airplane Mode—An Expert Explains

Do you activate airplane mode on your cell phone only when flight attendants instruct you to do so? The airlines inform passengers to switch off their phones since failure to do so might create problems during takeoff.

What are the repercussions when you either fail to activate airplane mode or neglect to do so?

Gary Coxe points out that planes do not risk crashing because of lightning strikes since his experience as a pilot and flight instructor confirms this safety feature. He noted that aircraft built today can manage such incidents without disturbing their operational systems. He warned viewers on TikTok that using phones could damage headsets. The video reached millions when he described how 3 to 4 passengers making phone calls on a Boeing 737 interfere with the radio waves pilots use in their headsets. Although the problem isn't severe it remains very bothersome as he concluded.

Pilots depend on control tower instructions delivered through headsets because limited visibility during runway operations makes visual cues insufficient. People who use headsets for communication with control towers experience buzzing interference when radio towers obstruct signals according to PerchPoint and as a result receive unclear audio instructions. The Federal Aviation Administration allows passengers to use cell phones and electronic devices provided their operation does not affect aircraft safety or radio equipment functionality.

The spokesperson failed to indicate whether any incidents have been documented that show a phone not in airplane mode leading to an accident. The Federal Communications Commission prohibited all cell phone usage on planes in 1991 after determining their transmissions interfered with essential onboard instruments.

The limited visibility pilots face makes them depend on ground intel received through their headsets during take-off and landing when most aviation accidents take place. When cell phone radio waves affect headsets pilots generally maintain the ability to hear control tower instructions although the sound quality may become compromised.