In Flight: Are electronic devices like cell phones really a safety threat in a flight journey?

For years, airlines and regulators had been erring on the zero-tolerance, better-safe-than-sorry side.

While the possibility of interference from cellphones during flight is a valid concern, the current risk of a cellphone.

 The chance of causing a flight accident is very low.  However, there are other reasons why using cell phones on a plane is generally discouraged.

*CELL PHONES :* Each time we flew, the never-tedious safety briefing would frighten us into making sure our phones were in the proverbial off position prior to taxiing. Things have changed. In the United States, the FAA still restricts phones to aeroplane mode,but in-flight texting and browsing, via Wi-Fi, are freely permitted. Elsewhere, there’s confidence enough that more than thirty airlines, including Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Aeroflot, and Alitalia, now allow in flight calling.

As technology advances, more airlines are exploring options for inflight connectivity. Some have already introduced picocells, which allow for safe and reliable phone calls and internet access. (calls are routed through something called a “picocell”, a miniature onboard base station. Picocells depower the energy your phone emits before relaying the signal either via satellite or to specially configured ground towers. Where call bans still exist, it’s possible that worries over safety are being used as a convenient means of avoiding the bigger issue here — that is, the social ramifications of allowing calls from planes. Once a call ban is lifted, you’re pitting one angry group of travellers against another, with carriers stuck in the middle. If indeed this is the game being played, count me among those who hope the prohibition stays in place—not out of technical concerns, but for the sake of some bloody peace and quiet. The sensory bombardment inside airports is overwhelming enough. The aeroplane cabin is a last refuge of relative silence (so long as there isn’t a baby wailing). Let’s keep it that way.

*LAPTOPS: The main reasons laptops need to be put away for takeoff and landing is to prevent them from becoming high-speed projectiles during a sudden deceleration or impact and to help keep the passageways clear if there’s need for an evacuation. Your computer is a piece of luggage, and luggage needs to be stowed so it doesn’t kill somebody or get in the way. This is why, after landing, flight attendants make an announcement permitting the use of phones but not computers. *

IPADS, KINDLES, TABLETS: *Devices like Kindles, Nooks, and iPads, earlier rules banning their use during takeoff and landing have been rescinded. From an interference perspective, it was tough to take this prohibition seriously now that most pilots are using tablets in the cockpit. The projectile argument was similarly specious: nobody wants an iPad whizzing into his or her forehead at 180 miles per hour, yet hardback books are just as heavy, if not heavier, and we never had a book ban. *The Real Issue: Peace and Quiet*

While safety concerns are often cited as the reason for restricting phone use on planes, some argue that the real issue is the social impact of allowing calls from planes. With many travellers opposed to in-flight calls, it’s a complex issue.

*The Future of In-Flight Connectivity*

As technology advances, more airlines are exploring options for in-flight connectivity. Some have already introduced picocells,

which allow for safe and reliable phone calls and internet access.

*What’s Your Take?*

Do you think phone calls should be allowed on planes? Or do you value the peace and quiet of the aeroplane cabin? Share your thoughts!