Phones must be off or they crash planes
Studies commissioned by aviation regulators found no verified cases of a commercial aircraft accident caused by a passenger's personal electronic device, and both the FAA and EASA relaxed rules in 2013 to allow most devices to remain on throughout flight, though cellular signals are still restricted to prevent ground network interference rather than flight safety risk.
What we know
The rule requiring passengers to switch personal electronic devices to airplane mode or turn them off entirely during commercial flights originated from early caution about potential electromagnetic interference between device signals and an aircraft's navigation and communication systems, a concern taken seriously by aviation regulators including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency since personal electronics became common on flights beginning in the 1990s.
Over subsequent decades, extensive study of this question by aviation regulators, aircraft manufacturers, and academic researchers did not identify any confirmed instance in which a passenger's personal electronic device caused or contributed to an aviation accident or a documented safety-critical system malfunction, according to a comprehensive review conducted by an FAA-convened advisory committee that included representatives from airlines, aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing, and technology companies, which published its findings in 2013. This review led the FAA to significantly relax its rules that same year, allowing airlines to permit passengers to use personal electronic devices, including tablets and phones in airplane mode, throughout all phases of flight including takeoff and landing, reversing the previous requirement that devices be powered off below 10,000 feet. The European Aviation Safety Agency made a similar policy change around the same time.
The distinction between airplane mode and fully powering off a device relates specifically to cellular radio transmission rather than to the device's other functions. Modern aircraft are generally well shielded against interference from typical consumer electronics, and the primary remaining rationale for restricting active cellular connections during flight is not aircraft safety but rather concern about ground-based cellular network interference: a phone actively searching for and connecting to cell towers while traveling at cruising altitude and high speed can attempt to connect to numerous ground towers across a wide geographic area in rapid succession, potentially causing network congestion issues for the ground-based cellular system rather than posing any risk to the aircraft itself, a rationale confirmed in FCC and FAA joint guidance on the subject.
This is also why the current rule structure asks passengers to keep devices in airplane mode, which disables cellular transmission specifically while still allowing other device functions such as offline apps, e-readers, music, or previously downloaded content to work normally, and why many airlines now offer onboard Wi-Fi that allows internet connectivity through the aircraft's own satellite or ground-based data link rather than through passengers' individual cellular connections, a technically distinct and separately regulated system.
Some countries and airlines have more recently begun permitting limited cellular voice and data use during flight through onboard picocell systems that manage the connection through the aircraft's own equipment rather than passengers' phones searching independently for ground towers, an approach approved by regulators including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in certain jurisdictions, further illustrating that the underlying restriction has always been about managing ground network interference and passenger courtesy concerns about in-flight phone calls rather than a fundamental aircraft safety requirement.
The airplane mode requirement that remains today is therefore best understood as a targeted, still-justified rule about cellular network interference and airline policy preference, rather than as a broader safety measure against electromagnetic interference with flight systems, a distinction confirmed by the extensive regulatory review that led to the 2013 policy relaxation.
Common claims
- Using a phone on a plane can cause it to crashFalse. No crash has been attributed to passenger phone use, and modern avionics are certified against much stronger interference.
- The FAA banned phones on planes because they are dangerousMostly false. The FAA relaxed PED restrictions in 2013; the cellular ban comes from the FCC over ground network concerns.
- Airlines now allow phones in airplane mode throughout the flightTrue. FAA InFO13010 from 2013 permits all personal electronics in airplane mode for the entire flight.
Evidence hierarchy
All sources
- FAA InFO13010 - Expanding Use of Personal Electronic Devices During FlightFederal Aviation Administration · 2013
- The Phone Airplane Mode MythQuartz · 2024
- Mobile Phones on AircraftWikipedia / sourced from FAA/FCC regulations · 2024
- Portable Electronic Devices Aboard AircraftFederal Aviation Administration · 2013