I’ll never forget the first time I noticed someone choose not to put their smartphone in airplane mode.
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It happened a year ago as I flew home. The three-hour flight was fully booked and I was in the middle seat. I put my phone in Airplane Mode then turned on a podcast. While I listened, my eyes wandered.
I realized the person next to me hadn’t put their phone into Airplane Mode; I watched them flip through a few browser and social media apps well until the plane was ready to take off… and then continued to do so as we ascended.
I kept glancing over and wondering when they’d turn on Airplane Mode. The passenger looked to be my age and comfortable on the flight—which meant there was little excuse about not knowing the rules of air travel.
I waited in vain. The plane landed, we deboarded, and life went on.
It wasn’t until I heard from a pilot a few weeks ago that I realized what actually happens when passengers refuse to put their smartphones in Airplane Mode.
Will the plane go down? No. Will you be making the pilot’s life harder while they’re in charge of a metal tube flying through the stratosphere? Definitely.
Here’s what happens when you don’t turn on Airplane Mode—according to a pilot
In a friendly PSA, a pilot recently took to social media to uncover what actually happens when smartphones aren’t properly managed during flights.
Like I just mentioned, there’s no risk to flight security… but smartphones can still cause headaches and undue stress.
“It does have the potential to mess with the headsets,” said a pilot who posted a mini tell-all on his Instagram account. (Reposted here by NBC Chicago.) According to the pilot, it only takes three or four passengers not turning on Airplane Mode on a flight of up to 100 to create interference.
That’s because smartphones that aren’t turned into Airplane Mode will send out radio waves to the nearest towers as they seek out a signal. Some of those radio waves can interfere with the pilots’ headsets.
The result? According to the pilot, that can cause a really annoying buzz in the headset—sort of like the sound of a mosquito buzzing in your ear. He goes on, “It’s not the end of the world, but it’s definitely pretty annoying when you’re trying to copy down instructions.” Fair enough.
How does onboard wi-fi work by comparison?
Here’s the mystifying issue with passengers attempting to use their smartphones during a flight: Most airlines now offer in-flight Wi-Fi.
There’s no reason to worry about your cell signal when you can easily log on to an actual Wi-Fi connection—assuming you’re okay paying for it, of course.
So, what’s the difference here—especially considering Wi-Fi runs on radio waves just like smartphone signals? It’s about infrastructure.
Planes rely on both satellites and ground towers for communication, and these bad boys run at top speed thanks to specialized high-frequency technology. Your smartphone, by contrast, is much less efficient—and its clunky old radio waves are prone to congestion and interference.
In other words, when it comes to handling radio waves and communicating between satellites and cell towers, the average airplane is a Ferrari… and your smartphone is more like a dusty old Camry.
