"Don't worry, I'm on airplane mode"
One of the biggest issues that I hear about from readers of Dear Sky Steward and from airline crew on is the electronic device policy debate between passengers and flight attendants. On a recent flight from San Francisco to Miami one of the flight attendants was given a lecture by a passenger about just what airplane mode is. The passenger informed the flight attendant that “airplane mode” is an acceptable alternative to turning the device off for take off and landing. It’s easy to get confused, so we’ll try to clear things up a little.
Before I go any further let me admit that I too hate turning my devices off as much as anyone else, but that is what the rules are. I think we’ve all landed at our destination and realized that we forgot to turn one or more of our electronic devices off, right? Obviously the plane did not nosedive into the Grand Canyon due to interference with the aircraft’s navigational equipment, correct? But until we are told otherwise we should all just play along to make things easy for everyone. Hmmm, I wonder if any unexplained crashes could have been caused by this? I’ll have to conduct my own investigation!
Here is a quick reference regarding electronics:
OFF: The mode the device should be in when the announcement is made to turn devices OFF
"This rule doesn't make sense!"
ON: The mode the device may be in when use of electronics is allowed before the door is closed and after landing in the US or other countries that allow use while on board
AIRPLANE: Some phone offer a shortcut to disable wireless transmissions and this is usually called “airplane” mode. Some phones require you to turn off the cellular signal and Bluetooth separately, but the concept is the same which is to stop the phone from transmitting.
Oblivious Mode: The mode that passengers are in when they refuse to turn off their devices and just blatantly disregard the announcements while other passengers comply. However, this mode also applies to flight attendants that begin barking the moment the last word of the “turn devices off” PA is spoken (Give the people a respectable amount time before they’re ripped a new…!)
So there you have it. BTW, I am guilty of letting my MP3 player stay in the ON mode when I’m a passenger. Take offs and landings are so much more fun to a good beat 
Luckily the flight did not overshoot the runway due to electronic interference!
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the rule about : speeding, drunk Driving , ….. don’t make sense to me either, but they are still enforced…
This passenger was clearly wrong…airplane mode is acceptable for the cruise portion of the flight only…not taxi, take-off, & landing, as the FAA states these three times are critical phases of a flight…all distractions should greatly be reduced…bottom line: it is a regulation, which is the law…it is enough to remove you from an airplane, & impose a fine…NOTE: until the FAA changes the law, we have to continue to enforce it…if we don’t we can get fined, as well as the airline…if you cause an airline to lose money in any fashion, you then become a liability, and they work to get rid of you…I will never allow a passenger to get me fired…TURN THE DAMN THINGS OFF!!!!
This is happening because there is no punishment enforced…
I have a palm centro… and I definitely do turn my phone off when they say so. I was just wondering… because the centro’s “off” function reminds me of other phone’s “airplane modes” – where the phone doesn’t work, but it works as a palm pilot (as in the electronic device is still literally ON, just not functioning as a phone, internet browser, text device)… is that version of “off” still acceptable, or do we really have to remove the battery?
(i don’t believe the palm centro has an “airplane mode”.)
Hi Honey,
Have you found a way to turn off the wireless functions of your phone without actually turning it off so that it no longer attempts to connect with cellular networks or bluetooth devices?
If I were calling the shots, ALL phones would be turned OFF before boarding, under penalty of death. I just survived an EZE/MIA flight sitting next to a jerk who felt compelled to phone everyone he had ever known in his so-called life, shout at them through the phone and emphasize his points by waving his free hand at the same time. If your life is so screwed up that you can’t survive without your phone during the boarding process, then for god’s sake, stay home! And if AA ever permits inflight phone use, I’ll find myself another airline (or stay home myself).
That story makes me cringe! I don’t know why people feel that others are interested in their conversations
I agree with John … well, not on the punishment part, but at least in regards to staying at home if you can’t survive without your cell phone.
Even if one day the FAA decides that using cell phones during flight is perfectly safe, it would be aggravating to sit through two hours of a person’s personal conversation.
“Airplane mode” is just a way to turn off the communication device part of the phone as stated above. Some phones like blackberries don’t have a mode they just have an option for communication on or off. If all this is foreign language to you or your phone still has a antenna your are pulling out it does not have this capabilities so just turn your phone completely off. If you are unsure how to you can take the battery out or just ask a Flight Attendant.
Regardless if they do or do not interfer with the cockpit Taxi, Take-off and Landings are the most critical phase of flight and the Flight Attendants need your attention as quickly as possible if an emergency arrises. So for that reason all please be content for 15 minutes reading the saftey information card, getting some shut eye or just enjoying the view out the window. Turn everything off.
FYI
If your screen is on the device is not off. (iPod users)
Don’t think that a Flight Attendant doesn’t know how to use something. Most of us own the same things or have seen enough of them on the planes we might be able to assist you better then a sales person in a store.
Well, I know that many may benefit from a few minutes without use of their electronic device. Look for a video soon of a passenger that was sitting next to me that carried on a full coversation after a flight attendant politely told him to turn the device off. I decided to stay quiet and see just how much he would push it. Also, I was breaking the rule myself, but I had to video it, right?
I think we should just be allowed to slap on fine on them in the air if they non-compliant with items such as, seat belts and cell-phones. They’d start paying real close attention
so instead of telling someone one three or four times and having them removed, lets fine them $50, it’s amazing what a little money can do. haha.
Happy Jetting!
But Cody, how do you slap a fine on someone *and* get them to pay up? I’m sticking with my original suggestion: no phones on planes, period. Stay in the departure lounge (or better yet, at home) if you just can’t handle the emotional strain of not phoning everyone you know before takeoff. And besides, FAs can’t be expected to wander back and forth teaching manners to morons.
Maybe allow phone calls on arrival, because then at least the other passengers have a means of escaping these jerks.
A colleague of mine was on a flight recently where a passenger repeatedly refused to switch off their phone, this was also taking place during an exit row brief. The FA informed the passenger that as he was ignoring her, she’d be moving him to a new seat. He kicked up a fuss and still refused to move. The guy in the row behind (also an exit) stood up, pulled out his official ID (Aus FAA equivalent) and wrote the guy a fine & court summons on the spot for disobeying a lawful crew instruction. I believe the fine was around $5000. Wish we were allowed to do that! I can see the problems in allowing crew to enforce fines though as well…
The airplane mode was created so that it would Not be necessary to turn on and of the Iphone, which is not a good practice for the device. If the device is on airplane mode the phone is off, and if they are not listening to music, with earphones on the Ipod on the Iphone is also off. As long as they pay attention to the safety video and keep their earphones off during taxi , take off and landing I could care less if the device is on or off and that is the point to have their undivided attention during critical phases of flight. I always put my Iphone on airplane mode before the flight and if the passengers do it is fine with me.
I was on a flight back to England from Mexico and the announcement regarding switching phones off was said but they also said ‘including those with ‘flight mode”. I’m confused, can we or can’t we use ‘flight mode’, the mode quite obviously made for flight, or not.
I am an electrical engineer, and it has been well established that EMF from phones can affect some equipment and if strong enough can induce a current on a wire. I did a little back of the napkin analysis for my Treo 755 because I was skeptical, but the results were startling. If everyone on a 747 flight were to have a Treo and leave it on, it will result in EMF levels being several times higher than what is the required threshold for the aircraft. Now, not everyone has a Treo which has a transmit power in the watts. However, knowing this, I ALWAYS turn my gear off and get my neighbors to do the same.