Why Cell Phones and Airplanes Don't Mix

Experts reveal that using your cell phone or wireless device inside the airplane will probably not bring it down, but it will land you in a confrontation with the other passengers and the flight attendants. Since 1991, the use of cell phones was banned in commercial airliners, but scientists reveal that there is little to no proof that the communication devices interact with the airplane's systems. Still, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) errs on the side of caution, as some pilots have complained of some interferences with their navigation systems.

The independent industry standards organization RTCA was asked in 1992 to study the issue of interferences inside aircraft. The body found that there was no direct proof that cell phones influenced command systems on aircraft, but advised that the passengers refrained from using them during the critical landing and take-off phases of the flight. The RTCA also deemed that some electronic devices, such as laptops, gaming consoles, and mp3 players, were safe for use in airplanes.

Cell phones and wireless devices are different from other electronics because they emit active radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. Although the airplane's systems and the mobile devices use different frequencies to communicate with the ground, and with each other, respectively, there is always a small risk of the two overlapping. The real reason why companies do not allow cell phones is the fact that ground networks may have the ability to interfere with their planes' systems. That is why some of them allow for passengers to use their phones in “airplane mode,” which is a special mode that interrupts all transmissions to and from the mobile device, LiveScience reports.

In order to keep customers who can't live without their wireless Internet connection, some airlines decided to provide services inside the plane. This was done by reserving a chunk of the electromagnetic spectrum the airplane used for Internet access. There are several companies providing these services at this point, but there is no chance that the ban on using wireless devices for direct connection will be lifted anytime soon. The FAA commissioned a new RTCA report in 2006 on the same issue, and the industry body recommended that the restrictions were kept in place.