Be Honest. Do you use airplane mode while flying?

[Anonymous]

Engineer here. You should shut off or use airplane mode. Otherwise, your phone is going to constantly try to ping cellphone towers as you fly by them at 500mph and that's a huge battery drain (when doing an initial ping, it uses more battery power then once a connection is established).

There's also the being a good citizen part of it -- the cell towers can get a little overloaded when a phone is moving that quickly between towers, affecting the service of those on the ground.

As for the part about cellphones complicated the airplane's avionics, that's pretty much a myth. Otherwise, we'd hear of terrorists showing up with 20 cellphones in their bag, threatening to turn them all on at once.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

fascinating question. I am not even a particularly devout rule follower but I *always* turn it to airplane mode when asked. And I fret if I turn it on briefly after we've started rolling from the gate. I won't care so much from now on!

[Anonymous]

Yes! As soon as I am directed to turn it on airplane mode, I do.

[Anonymous]

So it’s just laziness to leave it on? Doesn’t seem to be any other benefit.

[Anonymous]

No one does. Never have since it became a "thing."

[Anonymous]

I usually power it down completely and stow it so not an issue.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Because I am not selfish, and want the pilot’s comms to work.

I swear, some of you people are frighteningly entitled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So it’s just laziness to leave it on? Doesn’t seem to be any other benefit.

Pretty much. I fully admit I don't do it out of laziness. If it had any actual consequences, I would, but it doesn't, so laziness wins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Because I am not selfish, and want the pilot’s comms to work.

I swear, some of you people are frighteningly entitled.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I once saw a special about it how a lot of 'trying to connect' signals messed with their onboard systems and caused glitching. Might have changed since then with newer mobile phones, but why take the chance to mess with the airplanes' system? They ask you to put it in airplane mode on every airline in the world. Why not do this one easy safety thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes..why wouldn't I do as asked in an AIRPLANE

You sound like somebody who won’t get up to use the bathroom when the seat belt sign is needlessly on.

[Anonymous]

Of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes..why wouldn't I do as asked in an AIRPLANE

You sound like somebody who won’t get up to use the bathroom when the seat belt sign is needlessly on.

You sound like someone who is so utterly, so preciously entitled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What would be the reason to leave it on?

Exactly this. I do use mine while we are just on the ground taxi-ing. But once in the air there's no signal anyway and you can do the paid wifi on airplane mode regardless.