Mobile phones on planes

[srebbe64]

Like many others I have an iphone, which can do lots of things - including play music. Today I travelled on SAS and the cabin attendant insisted that I could not have my phone on during the entire flight even if it was on 'flight safe' mode. This is the first time this has been requested of me. Two questions:

1) Is this just an SAS policy or is it something in the industry?
2) Realistically, what are the chances of a phone in 'flight safe' mode causing a problem? I'm thinking 'zero'.

[LD1Racing]

Just tell them it's an iPod Touch. Seriously though, must just be SAS, I've never had a problem with BA, AF, Virgin, KLM, AA, or even LIAT.

[Blue Meanie]

Never heard that before... They normally mention putting phones in flight safe mode but never not permittng their use.

[IforB]

Every airline has a different policy upto a point. Personally I can't see the problem of having an iPhone in flight mode on, but the company makes the rules and the hosties don't have any discretion on the matter.

[scarebus]

Thats the problem with putting a 'jobs worth' in a uniform.... it will have no effect on the aircraft!

[Ayahuasca]

It must be a million times easier to police 'no phones' than 'some phones'.

[illmonkey]

Ayahuasca said:

It must be a million times easier to police 'no phones' than 'some phones'.

Same for laptops then. Our new ones have 3G with SIM cards. So they must not be allowed then. That'll piss a few people off.

[Simpo Two]

People have crashed more planes than mobile phones have. They should ban people.

[andy-sw]

Thomas Cook also operate no phones even in safe mode, or they stated it when I flew with them a few weeks back.

[TheEnd]

Isn't there an airline, Emirates i think, that allows phones, but they are routed through a picocell on the plane, and they charge a lot.

[Pothole]

andy-sw said:

Thomas Cook also operate no phones even in safe mode, or they stated it when I flew with them a few weeks back.

same with ryanair

[MiniMan64]

Pothole said:

andy-sw said:

Thomas Cook also operate no phones even in safe mode, or they stated it when I flew with them a few weeks back.

same with ryanair

That's got to be crap, I flew Ryanair a few weeks back and baring 5 minutes for landing and taking off I was openly using my I-Phone the whole flight, an attendant even asked about the quality of the movies on it.

[Pothole]

MiniMan64 said:

Pothole said:

andy-sw said:

Thomas Cook also operate no phones even in safe mode, or they stated it when I flew with them a few weeks back.

same with ryanair

That's got to be crap, I flew Ryanair a few weeks back and baring 5 minutes for landing and taking off I was openly using my I-Phone the whole flight, an attendant even asked about the quality of the movies on it.

only going on what their ridiculously inflected 'safety announcement' says. I don't have an Iphone and can manage a few hours without texting anyone.

[MiniMan64]

Pothole said:

MiniMan64 said:

Pothole said:

andy-sw said:

Thomas Cook also operate no phones even in safe mode, or they stated it when I flew with them a few weeks back.

same with ryanair

That's got to be crap, I flew Ryanair a few weeks back and baring 5 minutes for landing and taking off I was openly using my I-Phone the whole flight, an attendant even asked about the quality of the movies on it.

only going on what their ridiculously inflected 'safety announcement' says. I don't have an Iphone and can manage a few hours without texting anyone.

Likewise which is why I had it in Airplane mode and was watching Something Something Darkside.

[Matt Harper]

Ayahuasca said:

It must be a million times easier to police 'no phones' than 'some phones'.

Precisely, though some US airlines contradict themselves to a ridiculous extent. I was on an AirTran flight yesterday, where at the safety briefing, the cart c**t said, "Any electronic device, so if it's got an on/off button turn it off - airplane mode is not acceptable".
Then, at 10k feet, "OK folks, if you would like to log onto Go-Go in-flight internet for $10, just make sure your device is in non-transmitting (airplane) mode".

On a previous AA flight, a cell-phone, which must have been in the cockpit, started ringing, as the pilot made a 'We're next in line for take-off, cabin-crew take your seats", announcement.

I don't believe there is any evidence to suggest that cellular telephones do actually interfere with aircraft nav systems, only that they could have the potential to - hence, as Ayahuasca says, easier to ban them all, than just some.

[Mr E]

LD1Racing said:

Just tell them it's an iPod Touch. Seriously though, must just be SAS, I've never had a problem with BA, AF, Virgin, KLM, AA, or even LIAT.

No phones, but the kiddies behind you can play on their Nintendo DS all flight. Against each other. Over WiFi....

• sigh*

[Geneve]

Matt Harper said:

I don't believe there is any evidence to suggest that cellular telephones do actually interfere with aircraft nav systems, only that they could have the potential to - hence, as Ayahuasca says, easier to ban them all, than just some.

To be honest, it's probably better that they are banned. It's bad enough on a train, but can you imagine if half the plane were on the phone talking in loud voices - especially 'Mr I'm so important you will all want to hear my conversation'

Mind you, lots of pilots use their mobiles in flight - an increasing number of headsets come with bluetooth connectivity for phone use.

[JVaughan]

Never had a problem... even managed to connect to an onboard wifi point when flying BA last year !!! ... was able to get an ip address and telnet a gateway .... NO internet though so not sure what that was about.

I mainly fly BA / Luftansa and have never been challenged .. One BA flight to Romania, I was reading a book with my iphone in flight safe mode and they didnt even bother to tell me to remove it ... next thing I know, we had just landed !!!

I get more grief with a headset on in the quiet cariages on SouthWest Trains, even though you cannot hear any noise from the ear pieces

[Mojocvh]

JVaughan said:

Never had a problem... even managed to connect to an onboard wifi point when flying BA last year !!! ... was able to get an ip address and telnet a gateway .... NO internet though so not sure what that was about.

I mainly fly BA / Luftansa and have never been challenged .. One BA flight to Romania, I was reading a book with my iphone in flight safe mode and they didnt even bother to tell me to remove it ... next thing I know, we had just landed !!!

I get more grief with a headset on in the quiet cariages on SouthWest Trains, even though you cannot hear any noise from the ear pieces

st cabin crew then.

[Moose.]

Matt Harper said:

I don't believe there is any evidence to suggest that cellular telephones do actually interfere with aircraft nav systems, only that they could have the potential to - hence, as Ayahuasca says, easier to ban them all, than just some.

I couldn't say one way or the other regarding nav equipment but I do know they're bloody annoying when you're closer to the ground (e.g. when on an approach for landing) and all you can hear in your headset is the "duu dit duu dit duu" of a mobile phone trying to establish comms with a ground aerial. Very distracting and can make listening to ATC a bit tricky! Please make sure they're off during flight folks