canndlewic

I have heard that the rule is only to keep things uniform in all planes. The technology on mainline commercial jets recieve no interference from electronic devices and that only a handful of planes do ie small turbo props. The rule was set up at a time when cell phones weren't digital and emitted stronger analog signals. I'm not sure of the validity of that but it does seem viable...

How many times have we left electronics or cell phones on unknowingly and have never heard the pilot come on the PA and say, "could someone please turn off their cell phone, we are getting a bit of interference up here"

kcnwa

I was on a Mesaba CRJ-900 last week and the FA made it very clear that "Blackberry, Treo's and other PDA's cannot be used during the flight". That was the first time I've ever heard that. Like others, I always shut my phone part off before rocking out some Ka-glom or Texas Hold Em'

AviationFan

I don't see a technical reasons why smartphones, PDAs etc in "airplane mode" (meaning they don't try to send or receive any radio signals) should be any treated any differently by the airlines than laptop computers. But this also means that these devices, like laptops, need to be turned off and stowed when the aircraft is below 10,000 feet. I have seen more than one case of passengers telling FAs that their phone can stay on just because it's in airplane mode - that's is nonsense.

- Martin

kcnwa

Totally agreed. The FA specifically said, "at no point during the flight may you use these devices".

I agree some people are irresponsible, and may not shut them off, but if you can prove it's in airplane mode, I don't see the problem.

mikey1003

When it rings, it's a dead give away

Smailtronic

Seconded. Even when I have it out on the tray table, it never gets a second glance.

ifette

A few people have made observations about power - as a note, wireless devices (cell phones etc) transmit with MUCH more power when they are not connected to a network and are in search mode. When they connect to a network, they can scale back their Tx power drastically. So if you have a bunch of laptops connecting to a wireless network in a plane that is specifically designed for that purpose (pico-transmitters, clear line of sight, close range, etc) that communication is taking place with very little power. OTOH if you have a bunch of laptops just trying to find a network and getting nothing, they're sending crap out at full Tx power, and the airplane acts as a giant antenna, and you get electro-magnetic interference all over the place, which can actually affect much more than just instrumentation within the aircraft (and actually pollutes huge swaths of spectrum)

DanTravels

My Treo's ringtone is a double ring... its alarm tone is a long single ring. Boy, do I get worried looks from people around it when an alarm goes off in mid-flight (usually because I changed City Time to the destination timezone when I boarded)!

As far as the iPhones, how do the FAs know something is an iPhone and not an iPod Touch? They look pretty similar.

The taxi-out announcements that things must be completely off are, IMO, a good idea. I'm sure I'm not the only person here who's been seated next to someone who was furtively talking or chatting until the engines throttled up!

Several times I've forgotten to turn mine off when the door closed, but I usually remember before takeoff. Once or twice I've realized mid-flight that I forgot.

If they wanted to be clever, they could do something like the UK's TV detector vans, and triangulate the locations of the phones that were still switched on. Then go for the public shame. "Would the passenger in seat 22B please switch off their phone!"

2mg

No problem what's so ever. It would appear ATA didn't get the memo on the new iPhone features.

Appears to me to be another low cost carrier employee on an uneducated power trip (and yes I'm referring to the SWA attendant/clothing issue a few weeks back).

Both of these men should get together and start their own airline - BQExpress.

Without giving too much away, I'm very familiar with that type of personality.

ControlTower

That’s why iPhone is cool. It’s not a PDA, it’s a phone. ! ?
I had similar experience. FA announced, “all electronic devices must to be turned off, but cell phones may used until doors are closed.” So I decide to text to someone until doors are closed, and FA comes up and says, “Turn your iPod off!”

pragakhan

This is frustrating. If they are saying cell phones can interfere then what would stop the bad guys loaded up the planes with a bunch of people text messaging each other? Would the plane drop out of the sky if this happened?

And what can my MP3 player do below 10,000 feet that it can't do above 10,000 feet?

On take off cell phones need to be turned off because the door is shut... Is the door open during landing that allows us to turn them on while taxing, or does the pilot open a window some where? In the same regard what does my mp3 player do to the plane that my cell phone doesn't after we have landed and are taxing?

I just want to listen to my music and so much of this just seems artifical..

Saabaru

My question is, how would the FA know that it's a phone and not a ipod touch?


I have been told in an exit row that I was not allowed to have my tray table down, headphones on, or to sleep.... I promptly put my tray table down, with my ipod video on it (and my v-moda phones in) and fell asleep.

DLFan2

"Airplane Mode" does not mean that you can use the device at will while on an airplane. It simply means that your phone has now become just like all other non-transmitter containing devices. ALL devices (including MP3 players), whether they contain transmitters or not, have to be turned off from the moment the door is closed until the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet (and an announcement is made notifying you that it is OK to use them). They have to be turned off again when the aircraft descends below 10,000 feet for landing. Your "airplane mode" cell phone can be turned on in "airplane mode" only when these other devices are allowed to be on.

Cell phones which do not have "airplane mode" and cell phones which have it but which have it turned off (i.e. cell phones which are able to make and receive calls) have to be powered off from door closing until the plane is back on the ground.

This isn't rocket science. I have sometimes heard the FA say: "If it runs on batteries, turn it off until we tell you it is safe to use it. Cell phones may not be used until we are back on the ground."

ControlTower

DL allows people to use cell phone until they align to runway.

Also I noticed new announcement being made in NW flights
"This is great time to take out your cell phone from overhead-bin if you want to use it after we land"

Personally I dougt such a consumer electronic devices seriously interfere the
ILS, GPS, or 108+ MHz signals that would led to crash.

I know Saab 340's are picking up some noises from cell phones but from CRJ level, it doesn't.

DLFan2

Huh? Must be some other DL.