‘No risk’ in using electronic gadgets on planes as 40% of passengers admit …

  • Almost one in ten say they keep their mobiles connected to WiFi while in the air
  • 2% of passengers admit to using their phones during flights

By
Suzannah Hills


PUBLISHED:

10:11 GMT, 10 September 2012


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UPDATED:

11:55 GMT, 10 September 2012

Risky?: It may be safe to use mobiles on planes, according to new research

Risky?: It may be safe to use mobiles on planes, according to new research (posed by model)

There may be no risk in using phones, Kindles or laptops on airplanes after 40 per cent of passengers admitted they don't turn them off during flights, a survey claims.

The use of mobile phones and electronic devices during airplane takeoffs and landings have been banned by the Federal Aviation Administration since 1991 following complaints from pilots they were interfering with navigation equipment.

Psychology professor at the University of Illinois Daniel Simons and psychology professor at Union College Christopher Chabris carried out a survey of 492 American adults who have flown in the past year to see how often passengers were breaching these regulations.

Forty per cent admitted that they did not turn their phones off completely during takeoff and landing on their most recent flight.

More than 7 per cent left their phones completely on, with the WiFi and cellular communications functions active, while a further 2 per cent actively used their phones when they weren't supposed to.

According to the researchers, the odds that all 78 of the passengers who travel on an average-size U.S.domestic flight have properly turned off their phones are less than one in 100 quadrillion.

They concluded: 'Our survey strongly suggests that there are multiple gadget violators on almost every flight.

Rules: The Federal Aviation Administration's current policy prohibits the use of personal electronics during takeoffs and landing

Rules: The Federal Aviation Administration's current policy prohibits the use of personal electronics during takeoffs and landing

'If personal electronics are really as dangerous as the FAA rules suggest, navigation and communication would be disrupted every day on domestic flights. But we don't see that.'

The pair argue that the FAA policy on electronic device use should be 'based on evidence rather than on fear'.

In an article for the Wall Street Journal, they argue: 'There is no reason to doubt the anecdotes told by airline personnel about glitches that have occurred on flights when they also have discovered someone illicitly using a device.

'But when thinking about these anecdotes, we don't consider that glitches also occur in the absence of illicit gadget use. More important, we don't consider how often gadgets have been in use when flights have been completed without a hitch.

'Fear is a powerful motivator, and precaution is a natural response. Regulators are loath to make policies less restrictive, out of a justifiable concern for passenger safety.

'Once a restriction is in place, though, removing it becomes a challenge because every day without a gadget-induced accident cements our belief that the status quo is right and justified.'

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