iPhone on Airplane, is crew likely to have issues?

May 24, 2009 2:42 PM

What is your experience using an iPhone in Airplane Mode, on an airplane? Have you gotten flack from the crew for trying to do this, or is it normal enough now that no one bats an eye?

Husband is flying down to Florida and was hoping to use his iPhone for airplane entertainment. We already know it has to be in Airplane Mode and can only be used during approved times. I was just wondering if flight crew are at all 'suspicious' of iPhones because they could theoretically still be accessing the network. If I have to I can send him down with an additional iPod, but that seems really silly.

posted by MsElaineous to travel & transportation (19 comments total)

It's been no issue on the dozens of flights I've been on since getting an iPhone.
posted by ill3 at 2:44 PM on May 24

I've never had a problem. Just think of it as an iPod touch.
posted by MadamM at 2:54 PM on May 24

It would be hard for the crew to differentiate between an ipod touch and an iphone anyway. I always bring my ipod touch and never got any weird look. He'll be fine. The airplaine mode has been conceived, well, to be used in an airplane.
posted by ddaavviidd at 2:56 PM on May 24

You'll have to turn it off below 10,000 feet, like you would any other electronic device. I usually just switch mine to airplane mode and keep it in my pocket. When we're above 10k, I'll use it as I would any other time (save for calling, of course).
posted by nitsuj at 2:57 PM on May 24

No one bats an eye.
posted by alms at 2:58 PM on May 24

Never had a problem and if I ever do, I feel pretty confident that I can show proof that my device is in airplane mode. If the little airplane icon doesn't get them, opening the settings panel and showing them that Airplane Mode = ON will.
posted by padraigin at 2:58 PM on May 24

I've had a crew member see my iPhone and ask me, "Is your phone in airplane mode?" So, nobody cares because they're probably used to it already.
posted by suedehead at 3:11 PM on May 24

I remember flight crew telling a passenger sitting next to me to turn off his mobile, even though it was in Flight Mode. But that was when Flight Mode was a relatively new option. The last couple of flights I have been on (this year), the announcement made over the PA was "make sure mobile phones are off, or in Flight Mode". This has been in Australia, though.
posted by kisch mokusch at 3:33 PM on May 24

I fly several times a week. Airplane mode for cell phones is very common and doesn't raise an eyebrow. However, it has to be completely off below 10K feet - airplane mode doesn't cut it.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:47 PM on May 24

I turn mine on airplane mode as soon as I get to the airport so I don't forget, not one eyebrow yet.
posted by cestmoi15 at 4:17 PM on May 24

No one has given I or Endnull (Mr Strixus) any trouble with ours on flights. I spent most of a flight to Las Vegas recently watching Top Gear on my Iphone with it hooked to a laptop for power while Endnull watched anime. No one gave us any flack.
posted by strixus at 4:30 PM on May 24

I've used a blackberry in airplane mode multiple times, and I'm certain that the frequency of this use for blackberries is far lower than that of the iPhone, but the most I've ever gotten from a flight crew is confirmation that it's not transmitting.
posted by Lemurrhea at 4:41 PM on May 24

iPhones and iPod touches are pretty common on planes these days. It has been years since i've seen flight crew give anyone any static about using their smartphone or quizzing about flight mode. The standard announcement after 10K ft says you can use your electronic devices as long as you have them in flight mode. The only time I've recently seen a cabin person complain to a person to turn off their phone because it rang just as we were about to take off and that clearly meant the passenger wasn't following instructions.
posted by birdherder at 5:25 PM on May 24

I played with my phone in airplane mode previously with no problems. Lately (two different flights on different airlines since mid-April) the attendants have been very strict about announcing that "all cell phones must be off, airplane mode is not off."
posted by desuetude at 5:54 PM on May 24

So on a plane recently I finally had a flight attendant overhear me complaining to my friend about how turning off electronic devices does nothing to "prevent the plane from crashing", and she came right out and admitted it's just to keep your attention during takeoff and landing -- that is, if you have headphones in, you're not listening to any directions or announcements, and takeoff and landing are the most frequent times there are problems during flights. She was happy to admit it has no technical effect on the safety of the plane's performance (which was my complaint, as an engineer).

So. Airplane mode is fine. Regular mode is fine too -- I've accidentally left my phone in that before and we didn't crash or anything -- but at this point they expect Airplane Mode if anything. (And on some flights you can even turn the wireless on to access the in-flight wifi. So it's not even a matter of transmitting or not.)
posted by olinerd at 6:15 PM on May 24

My brother and I just flew in March. He had his on airplane mode and was playing a few little games. Flight attendant told him to turn it off. . . he assured her it was in airplane mode. She didn't care and got all pissy. He finally turned it off. :( We were so bored!!!!
posted by Sassyfras at 6:45 PM on May 24

Never had a problem, and I've flown many times with my iPhone. (Just did a CA->NY round trip with it a couple of weeks ago.)
posted by Mikey-San at 12:34 AM on May 25

I've listened to music on a phone that looks a lot more phone-like than an iPhone on numerous flights around Europe and never had any problems. Ryanair, however, announces that you can't use any kind of mobile on the plane, even if it's in flight mode. The phone, not the plane.
posted by hnnrs at 1:00 PM on May 25

Thank you all! Just to add my data point for posterity, husband, being the friendly and talkative type, actually asked the flight attendants as he was boarding whether it would be okay. They assured him that it would be no problem as long as it was in flight mode.

On the way home, he did not ask, but did not encounter any problems.
posted by MsElaineous at 1:49 PM on May 30