If you don’t use airplane mode on your phone will the plane crash or will you get in serious trouble?

Admit it, you’ve been bored during a flight and wondered what would happen if you didn’t put your phone in airplane mode. Would it really make the plane crash? Or is it perfectly safe to try and connect to cell towers?

What happens if you don’t use airplane mode during a flight?

Some people might be nervous about the idea of not using airplane mode during their flight. Rumors suggest that it could interfere with signals, causing a massive crash. Also, will police officers be waiting on the ground to arrest you?

Other people simply don’t care and toggle airplane mode off and on multiple times, desperate to do doom scroll and text. We’ve all thought about ignoring the mode while the plane wi-fi lags or completely fails.

According to Travel and Leisure, using your phone as normal can annoy your pilots. As cell phones send out radio waves to connect with towers, they interfere with headsets. It provides a buzzing sound, like a mosquito.

Pilots have limited visibility and rely on intel via headsets, especially while taking off and landing. This is also when the highest rate of aviation-related accidents occurs. Plus, attempting to connect to cell towers while in the air will quickly drain your battery.

Technology can be installed on airplanes to prevent signal interference. Many countries around the world use this tech and allow passengers to text and make calls. However, adding this tech across America would be pretty expensive.

While you probably won’t face the police for refusing to use airplane mode, you can receive hefty fines and might even be kicked off your flight.

 

This article, “Here’s what happens if you don’t use airplane mode during flights,” was written by Allison Barfield and published on May 25, 2025. The original article can be found here.

 

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