Are phones on planes really so dangerous?

If you read the actual rules you'll see there's a bit more to it than that but certainly power banks and batteries not in devices should go in hand baggage..

🤨 surely they were making this up? How would they know?

Yep never put anything with batteries in the hold

Most planes have (paid) wifi you can use. Using Whatsapp on board is a really normal thing to do.

I don't think it's possible to get a signal at 35,000 feet so it surely couldn't have been a real chat?

Err....Actually... if you leave your phone on (by accident of course) you might find even at altitude it might find a good enough signal to try a log-on if there's a network in range, but you probably won't get a useable.connection.

As far as Whatsapp and internet based social media goes If you are on a wifi equipped aircraft (and more and more are) then those those apps work normally, like they do with domestic wifi.

All that's happening there is the aircraft has a router/routers that serve the cabin, then the router communicates with the outside world via some form of radio link or very commonly these days a satellite communications link

That might have been me 😳 Even when the phone's on aeroplane mode you can still access and write WhatsApp messages. I quite often take advantage of the downtime on a flight to go through my chats and write responses to messages I haven't had the chance to reply to. The messages are stored and send when the phone is connected again. Even if the phone wasn't on flight mode, I don't think it's possible to get a signal at 35,000 feet so it surely couldn't have been a real chat?

It used to be a problem on some older aircraft (think maybe pre-1990 designs) and analogue phones.

Even so problems were rare but you could sometimes get audible interference over the flight deck headsets if a phone was searching for a base station (a sort of buzzing/clicking sound) and very very very rarely you'd see interference with things like the pressurisation system...basically valves moving when they shouldn't.

With modern aircraft and digital phones the problem has pretty much gone, however because you really really don't want any risk of radio interference with the aircraft receivers when doing things like autolands in low visibility there's still usually the restriction about usage in poor weather.

All the above is associated with the telephone network side of the phone radiating..flight mode turns that off but leaves you with WiFi running so you can use internet if the aircraft is suitably equipped.

I've gone on a bit but hope that helps.

I shall be interested to read this thread. I sat close to someone whatsapping and social media commenting throughout a flight. I am not the most confident flier and it definitely made me somewhat anxious.

That’s Wi-Fi, not a phone signal. There is a difference.

Apparently, the odd phone being left on isn’t a problem. It has the potential to create interference in the pilots’ headsets. In extreme cases it could stop them hearing through them. The more phones left on the greater the probability.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/what-happens-if-you-dont-use-airplane-mode-11733373

In terms of fire hazard, yes. NFPA are developing strategies at the moment for Lithium Ion fires on board, currently submersion in an ice bucket is the only option. Interference wise, I dont know but I thought it was just when they used to go beep beep beep beep beep when they were analogue?

I was on a plane coming into land a few years ago when a phone started ringing in the seat back pocket. I am a nervous flyer and almost wet myself! No one batted an eyelid when I handed it in after landing and explained. I assume it was the phone's owner trying to track it down, and they hadn'tput it in airplane mode...

My pilot friend told me it doesn't matter at all unless it's really foggy or similar so they are landing purely on instruments.

I've been on a flight landing in poor visibility (thick fog) where they kept announcing phones needed to be off for this reason and then when they could still tell phones were on the crew checked everyone had turned them off for landing.

Some bigger airlines have wifi on board so I don’t think it’s that much of an issue!

On newer planes its fine

I honestly don’t think it’s a real “thing”- interference is a theoretical possibility but if it was true they would surely check and they don’t

what is a real concern is battery packs catching fire. Thats why they should always be in hand luggage so that they can be easily dealt with if smoking

No they are not at all dangerous. Look up some social media pilots and you will find a proper explanation.