Putting your phone in airplane mode when boarding a flight feels like common sense.
Europe decided toallow phone calls and data usage on flightsin 2022.
Pico-cells are not new, however; theyve been around for over two decades.
Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto (Getty Images)
Even without a pico-cell, theres limited evidence that a phone has ever interfered with a planes electrical systems.
Most of the evidence on this seems to be anecdotal or severely outdated.
Thats why regulators continue to ban phone calls and data usage on planes: its just plain annoying.
The FAA reportedmore than 10,000 unruly passengers between 2021 and 2023, a roughly 300% increase from 2018-2020.
However, its also the reason myths about airplane mode have persisted.
But the rule banning cell use on planes persisted.
Let me say up front that, I get it.
The conversation was completely about air rage.
Because of this, weve had these old rules in place for far too long.
Airplane mode is more of a common courtesy our government imposes on us than a safety precaution.
Why Its Pervasive
Likesomeothermythsweve covered, the airplane mode tale feels like it should be true.
Turning on your phones airplane mode on doesnt feel that different.
However, theres no real evidence that cell phone usage would increase air rageits just a speculation.
However, if more planes installed pico-cells, you could likely do this for free.
Theres a collective fear about flying that plays into our belief in airplane modes necessity.
We all want to play by the rules so everything goes smoothly.
The reality is that phones havent interfered with in-flight electrical systems or terrestrial wireless services for decades.
The actual reason youre turning on airplane mode is for your fellow passengers.
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