Jump directly to the content
Mobile moan

Here’s why you’re told to put your phone in flight mode on a plane

Despite all the warnings telling us to disable our phone’s signal, putting your mobile into flight mode doesn’t actually ensure you’re any safer mid-air

Despite all the warnings telling us to disable our phone’s signal, putting your mobile into flight mode doesn’t actually ensure you’re any safer mid-air

HAVE you ever wondered why phones have flight modes – or why we’re told to turn our phones ‘off’ during a flight?

Despite all the warnings telling us to disable our phone’s signal, putting your mobile into flight mode doesn’t actually ensure you’re any safer mid-air.

 Despite all the warnings telling us to disable our phone’s signal, putting your mobile into flight mode doesn’t actually ensure you’re any safer mid-air
2
Despite all the warnings telling us to disable our phone’s signal, putting your mobile into flight mode doesn’t actually ensure you’re any safer mid-airCredit: Alamy

Not really, anyway.

The radiation from a phone’s signal cannot interfere with hi-tech operating system on a plane – at least not to the extent that it will cause any major problems.

Even if lots of terrorists kept their phones on mid-flight and started streaming large data files, nothing would happen.

 The radiation from a phone’s signal cannot interfere with hi-tech operating system on a plane – at least not to the extent that it will cause any major problems
2
The radiation from a phone’s signal cannot interfere with hi-tech operating system on a plane – at least not to the extent that it will cause any major problemsCredit: Alamy

However, leaving your phone on and not in flight mode does mean you could give your pilot a headache.

According to one pilot on , here's what happens in about three per cent of cases when phones are left on:

“You may have heard that unpleasant noise from an audio system, which occasionally happens when a mobile phone is nearby.

“I actually hear such noise on the radio while flying. It is not safety critical, but is annoying for sure.

“It makes a bzzzt-bzzzt-bzzzt-bzzt-bzzt.

“Now imagine that noise in the pilot's headphones, while [he or she] is receiving a critical bit of information from ground control!”

So there you have it, there is no major worry when it comes to not switching your phone off, but it’s probably best to be courteous to your pilot – after all he or she is in charge of flying you safety to your destination…