QuantumJourney

I was on a flight yesterday and noticed that the two guys beside me didn't turn off their Blackberry phones while we were in-flight.When we landed, they both pulled them out and started answering emails. Neither turned them "on." The screens showd that they had email waiting. I know this only because I have a Blackberrry.So this makes me wonder if the need to turn off cell phones is really necessary while the plane is in the air.I asked the flight attendant about it and she didn't seem to care about it.HmmmmmmmmmWhat do you think? Did I miss something. Is a Blackberry not a phone.BTW it was a Southwest Airline Flight.I didn't know there was a "plane mode" on my blackberry.Thanks for letting me know.

Falcon163

good point, i never turn mine off i have what is called airplane mode on it. and im a pilot none the less. but alot of people dont shut them off its amazing if they get signal way up there

dcgirl3810

The reason cell phones have to be turned off for take-off, taxi and landing is because they are too much of a distraction. These are the most dangerous times in a flight and the flight crew needs passengers to be relatively attentive in case there are emergency instructions that need to be given. If you're yakkin away on your cell and there's something wrong with the plane, you won't pay attention to the exit instructions, and you might be in a situation where every second counts. Unlikely, true, but very possible. That's also why the shades are raised for takeoff and landing (you can see outside to make sure the exit you have chosen is clear) and why ALL your electronics need to be put away.In flight, cell phones aren't going to work--- you're moving too fast to maintain a signal with any of the ground-based cell towers. So your phone will drop calls repeatedly. And flight attendants have too many things to do, to be spending time with every third passenger who wants to know why their cell doesn't work.So you gotta put them away for the first and last parts of the flight because you need your full attention in case of a crash, and they don't work in the middle of the flight--- easier just to tell everyone to put them away for the duration.PS some older technology, especially 2-way pagers, DOES interfere with the onboard navigational equipment but most new cell phones don't.

MatthewD6059

The reason cell-phones are banned is because they can interfere with navigation systems on board the aircraft. The following is an example from askcaptainlim.com Last year, as a Boeing 737 was making an approach to Chicago Midway Airport, the pilots noticed an erroneous airplane position from the cockpit instruments. At one point, it was indicating that it was on course and the next moment it was off course, showing that it was too far South. When they finally sighted the Runway, they were too high and too far North to land. They eventually discovered that a lady passenger was using her cell phone. When she was asked to turn it off, the instruments returned to normal and the Boeing 737 landed safely."This is a federal regulation and the flight attendants should enforce it. It is for the safety of the passengers. If the call is that important then pay the $9 a minute and use the on-board phones. Their is the possibility that the Blackberry's were in "plane-mode" this shuts off the transmitter and allows the use of other functions such as MP3 and writing (but not sending) e-mail messages.

blndsugar9788

they were likely in airplane mode, or stand-alone mode. This turns off the signal to make and receive calls and texts. Otherwise the battery will wear down very quickly as it will continue looking for service throughout the flight.

averagebear7006

Cell phones can interfere with flight navigation but that doesn't mean it will cause trouble every time. I have left my cell phone on before and nothing happened. I didn't mean to. I just fell asleep before people finished boarding.

JerryB

Matthew D is correct.Cell phone in use on board an aircraft can interfere with navigation's in the cockpit.This includes ALL cell phones including new ones.This issue has not been resolved yet.Please keep all cell phones off during the flight.

lildude211us8574

its better if you dont have any live signal from your cell phone because its better to be safe than sorry. What flight mode does is that it shuts off all connection to any cell tower, but still allows you to use the phones features (like the camera or the music player) Many newer phones have flight mode now.