Everyone knows that you are supposed to put your phone on airplane mode when you fly, but do you know why? Travel & Leisure spoke to some aviation experts who explained that your phone can interfere with the pilot’s communications system.
The article explains, when you leave your phone on during the flight, it is continually trying to connect to a cellular network. It’s possible that the radio waves from your phone could interfere with the radio waves of the cockpit headsets. Pilots rely on their communications with air traffic controllers, especially during take-off and landing. Interference from cell phones can disturb the audio, but the pilots can usually still hear instructions. One pilot described it as the buzzing noise a mosquito makes.
If you fly internationally, you might wonder why you don’t have to use airplane mode in the United Kingdom and the European Union. That’s because airlines in those countries are required to equip their aircraft with special network equipment that uses a satellite network to keep passengers connected. According to the Travel & Leisure article, it’s called a “picocell” and is like a portable cell tower.
Don’t expect that technology to be available on domestic flights. The article says, “5G networks in Europe are different from their American counterparts. They use a lower frequency that doesn’t interfere with technology on the aircraft the way stateside 5G networks, which operate at a higher frequency, can.”
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