Can you use your phone on a plane? Well, it's complicated. We try to break it down as much as possible—here are all your questions about in-flight phone use, answered.
Can I use my cell phone on board?
The short answer: yes and no. Passengers are still not allowed to use their cellular connection to text on a plane, but since October 2013 the use of devices like iPhones and tablets is allowed on flights within the U.S., provided they’re in airplane mode while taxiing and in the sky.
Fliers can enable Wi-Fi at any time, but likely won't be able to access the in-flight network until an announcement is made that the service is active—usually when the plane goes above 10,000 feet. Although that could soon be changing: last month, Norwegian Airlines launched "gate-to-gate" Wi-Fi, which will work during both take-off and landing.
Can I text on an airplane?
Yes, but only using a Wi-Fi connection. The ban on using a cellular connection means passengers can’t send SMS texts. Any communication has to be over Wi-Fi with a messaging app that provides similar functionality like iMessage, WhatsApp, or Viber. A number of airlines have incorporated free Wi-Fi texting into their offerings, including Southwest, Delta, Alaska, and JetBlue. Of course, if your fare includes access to the plane's Wi-Fi, you can also email, tweet, and update Facebook as much as the bandwidth allows.
Won’t my phone be dead by the time we land?
Airlines are adding more and more power plugs to keep passengers’ phones and tablets charged. To see if the aircraft operating your flight has plugs—or those handy USB ports —check with your airline or consult SeatGuru.com, which shows seat-by-seat information for all major carriers. To make sure you're not at risk of a dead device, a portable phone charger will guarantee you have enough juice to reach your final destination.
Can I make a phone call?
Cellular calls are not allowed on domestic airlines, but lots of international airlines, including British Airways, Emirates, and Etihad allow fliers to chat on a voice call in addition to texting and browsing the web. So far, there have been no major incidents traced to the fact that phone calls are allowed. In fact, ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair even discontinued voice calls because passenger interest in them was so low after trying the service in 2009.
Many people think allowing voice calls is a bad idea (even the Chairman of the FCC said he "values a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet"), but some travelers don’t think it’d be a problem. After all, fliers have had the chance to make calls in the past—remember the Verizon Airfone that used to be installed in every row?
Why shouldn't we take airplane mode for granted?
The world has changed. Remember when you used to have to turn off your phone every time the plane was about to take off or land? For many shorter domestic routes, the phases of the flight during which it was previously forbidden to use devices added up to a significant portion of an entire trip. For business travelers, that was lost productivity. For the rest of us, that was a lot of unnecessary boredom.
Anything else I need to know?
Beyond the fact that airline rules are there for your safety, forgetting to put your device in airplane mode could also cost you some serious cash. Last year, a man who left his phone on during a flight from Ireland to the United States received a nasty roaming bill of almost $300 from his provider. Plane antennas can connect to devices on board as well as the ground below, which means forgotten devices—including Kindles and iPads—may be actively racking up charges without their owners knowing.
This post was last published in May 2016. It has since been updated with new information.
