The real reason airlines keep asking you to activate ‘Airplane Mode’ even though it’s useless

A feature on all the smartphones in the world may be completely unnecessary, at least the common people believe it exists. This is the ‘Airplane Mode’ function, which eliminates all smartphone connectivity so that your terminal does not interfere with any of the aircraft’s navigation systems. The general fear of the airline industry was that if all passengers used their phones, the plane might face an emergency.

However, this has now largely been proven to be a myth. A 2012 study by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concluded that there were virtually no conclusive cases of aircraft disruption caused by mobile phone use.

It turns out that the evidence initially found for the creation of Airplane Mode was mostly anecdotal. There has never been a single conclusive example of this phenomenon occurring, at least not one that would have caused any sort of crisis in flight.

According to an investigation by Gizmodo, this myth first spread when the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said that the use of mobile phones on flights could cause interference that could jeopardize communications.

The FCC feared that people who actively use their cell phones in the air would interfere with communications made by aircraft with their electromagnetic waves, for both pilots and aircraft.

However, this theory no longer makes sense today, when the airlines themselves flood planes with electromagnetic waves via paid WiFi, a product designed for use with smartphones, tablets, and computers. Is.

In recent years, some airlines have also begun adding WiFi to their planes as an added value for passengers. In 2019, 25% of flights had some form of internet connectivity offered by airplanes. This figure is expected to skyrocket over the next 20 years, for the simple reason that it makes money for the airlines. By 2035, the in-flight connectivity market is expected to be worth $130 billion.

Continue reading story

“Over the next five years, connectivity will increasingly become a standard feature on aircraft,” says Nick Maynard, senior analyst at Juniper Research, citing Airport Technology. “Juniper estimates that the number of connected aircraft will grow 118% between 2018 and 2023, with more than 34,000 commercial and business aircraft equipped by 2023.”

Why do airlines still insist on using airplane mode when offering WiFi?

Airlines and airplane crews basically keep asking people to switch to airplane mode to maintain peace on board. Talking loudly on your cell phone, which today can technically be done while the plane is on the ground or at very low altitude, will add another stress factor to the already stressful process of traveling by plane.

Can you imagine that in addition to crying children, turbulence and questionable food, you also have to talk to someone sitting next to you during the most difficult moments of the flight, such as landing and departure or takeoff? Airlines are afraid of this situation, because it can lead to “air rage”: passengers fight among themselves during the most critical stages of the flight and do not pay attention to their surroundings.

According to Gizmodo, this happens when passengers become angry at the plane’s crew or other passengers and it’s already a serious problem in the United States. According to the FAA, cases of unruly passengers on US domestic flights increased by nearly 300% between 2018 and 2020.

In the United States, it is illegal to disobey the instructions of the airplane crew while on board, so if they ask you to put your phone in airplane mode and you don’t, the worst. It’s possible that you will do this. Arrested or fined. Of course, this is much less scary than disabling airplane computers with a phone call, but no less important.

More news that may interest you:

On video | Samsung or Apple, which is the best mobile phone for 2024?