What happens if you don't
Most people now know the flight attendants' instructions by heart. The seat should be in the upright position, the table closed, the window shades open, and the electronic devices in flight mode.
Most of it is obvious: In an emergency, one should be able to perceives the possible danger (open windows) and vacates his seat immediately (standing seat and closed table). But what really happens with mobile phones on flights?
Many people don't know exactly why these devices should be turned off during a flight. And certainly, on every plane there are at least a few who ignored the directive.
What is the danger of an open cell phone on the plane? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Technology has advanced
Airplane navigation and communication systems depend on radio transmissions, which have been tuned to minimize interference since the 1920s, CNN explains.
The digital technology used today is much more advanced. from older analog technologies.
Research has shown that personal electronic devices emit a signal in the same frequency band as airplane systems, causing what is called electromagnetic interference.
But in 1992, the US Federal Aviation Authority and Boeing studied the use of electronic devices in airplanes and found that there were no problems during non-critical phases of flight (critical phases are considered takeoff and landing).
< p>The US Federal Communications Commission has begun to create separate frequency bands – such as for mobile phones and airplane systems – so that there is no interference between them. And governments around the world have developed corresponding strategies and policies. In the EU, electronic devices have been allowed to remain switched on on planes since 2014.
So why do airlines still ban mobile phones after all this? As CNN explains, one of the reasons should be sought on the ground.
Mobile networks work with a series of towers. An open cell phone inside the plane will try to connect to every tower it passes over. And this means that mobile companies are afraid of the risk of overloading. After all, more than 2.2 billion people flew by plane in 2021, while the number was twice that in 2019.
In addition, the transition to 5G creates concern for air transport, as as explained by the companies in the sector , 5G's bandwidth spectrum is very close to that reserved for airplanes, which means there could be interference with navigation systems.
What airlines fear< /h3>
Most airlines now offer Wi-Fi services to their customers, either free or for a fee. In theory, passengers can use their cell phones to make video calls.
But using a cell phone is something that crews don't like at all. As the flight attendants explain, if they have to wait for each passenger to finish their phone call to ask if they want something to drink or give them an instruction, then their job will become much more difficult.
And of course, no one wants to be inside such a confined space where 200+ people will be talking on their cell phones at the same time.
At a time when the experience of traveling by plane has already degraded, as a result there are increasingly frequent incidents of tension between passengers and flight attendants, cell phone use clearly threatens to exacerbate the situation.
So while cell phones do not seem to affect the operations of an airplane, crews seem to prefer them to remain closed for travel.
