Boarding a plane might stir a thrill of anticipation as you step through the airport.
There’s getting through security then basking in the realm of duty-free shopping before it’s time to head to your gate. Then the seriousness sets in once you’re nestled in your seat on board.
Once you’re on the aircraft, you need to buckle up and have your seats upright, ready for take-off. But also you’re required to put your phone on airplane, so have you ever wondered why?
One pilot reassures a missed flick to airplane mode is “not the end of the world”. On YouTube, WKYC Channel 3 broadcasted @perchpoint’s explanation, who said: “This is just a friendly PSA the airplane mode button on your phone is not a conspiracy.
“So if you forget to put your phone on airplane mode, no it’s not the end of the world, the plane will not fall out of the sky and it won’t even mess with the systems on board.”
He elaborated: “However, it does have the potential to mess with the headsets, if you have an aircraft with 70, 80 or 150 people on board and even three or four people’s phones start to try to make a connection to a radio tower for an incoming phone call, it sends out radio waves, there’s the potential those radio waves can interfere with the headsets the pilots are using.”
The pilot recently recounted an incident in San Francisco where his communication was interrupted by a persistent “annoying buzz” during take-off, which he attributed to a passenger’s phone not being in airplane mode.
He shared his experience, saying: “And as soon as we started to get the directions, we got this really annoying buzz with the headset and it kind of sounds like there’s a mosquito.
“Not the end of the world but definitely annoying when you’re trying to copy down instructions and it sounds like there’s a wasp or something lying around you. So if you’re ever curious why you get put on airplane mode, that’s why.”
His advice resonated with many, as reflected in online reactions where one person commented: “That is excellent advice. Of course, I think we all know that not everyone heeds to the policy that all airline companies have during flight.”
Meanwhile, another individual pointed out: “This is an FCC requirement and has zero to do with headsets. They don’t want everyone pinging towers along the route.”