Airline passenger says he ‘never’ put his phone in airplane mode – and commentators are outraged
A TikToker infuriated users after she expressed her opinion on switching devices to airplane mode in a video posted on June 12
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Passenger using his phone on the plane
An airline passenger caused a stir when she revealed that she rarely puts her phone into airplane mode during a flight.
TikToker Isabella Sinis shared a video of herself sitting on an airplane, admitting that she never puts her devices in airplane mode, even when the flight attendant asks passengers to do so before takeoff.
“Does anyone actually put their phone on airplane mode? I’ve never done that except to charge my phone faster, but never for fun on an airplane,” she wrote in white lettering above the clip, recording herself with a confused expression on her face.
In the caption of her June 12 post, she added, “That could never be me.”
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Passengers using their phones on the plane
Users flocked to the comments section to share their views on this controversial topic.
“As soon as I get on the plane, my phone is in airplane mode, hello,” one person commented, followed by another: “As soon as I hear ‘Please make sure your electronic device is in airplane mode,’ I immediately turn it on.”
One user pointed out that flight attendants make these announcements “for a reason” and therefore the rule should always be followed.
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Others said they did not want to be responsible for any consequences that might arise from not using airplane mode.
“Girl, yeah. If a plane crashes, it’s not my fault,” said one. Another added: “Yeah, I’m too paranoid for that.”
One user asked Sinis for his reasoning. “But why not? I doubt you’ll get reception in the air, so what’s the point? You’re just risking interference,” he commented.
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Airplane mode icon
While the majority of comments were in favor of turning on airplane mode during a flight, there were some commenters who sided with the inventor.
“Everyone said yes but I really thought it was normal not to,” wrote one. Another added, “I guess it’s just you and me.”
One person explained that they never turned it on because they did not believe it would affect the pilot’s ability to communicate during the flight.
“I don’t know anymore since I learned that it doesn’t even affect the aircraft. It only affects the connections on the ground,” they wrote.
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According to CNN, ground interference from electronic devices used during flight is a real problem in the aviation industry.
“The bandwidth spectrum of the 5G cellular network is remarkably close to the bandwidth reserved for aviation, which can cause disruption to navigation systems near airports that help planes land,” the outlet reported in April 2023.
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While further research is needed to confirm that 5G technology does indeed impact the ability of aircraft to land, the European Union is placing less emphasis on keeping devices in flight mode.
“The technical data received from EU manufacturers do not provide conclusive evidence of immediate safety concerns at this stage. (The European Union Aviation Safety Agency) is not aware of any in-service incidents caused by 5G interference,” the organization told CNN in 2022.
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