THE PASSENGER IN THE SEAT NEXT TO ME DIDN’T PUT THEIR PHONE ON AIRPLANE MODE. ARE WE INSIDE AN ASSASSINATION?

THE PASSENGER IN THE SEAT NEXT TO ME DIDN’T PUT THEIR PHONE ON AIRPLANE MODE.

ARE WE INSIDE AN ASSASSINATION?**

The announcement we hear the moment we board the plane is something we now know by heart:

“Please switch your electronic devices to airplane mode.”

As soon as the announcement ends, everyone reflexively reaches for their pocket. Everyone… except not everyone. If the screen in the seat next to you is still glowing, that’s where the story begins.

You can’t help but think: Is this negligence? A provocation? Or are we sitting next to the airborne representative of the “nothing will happen to me” crowd? Questions fly through my head as the plane leaves the runway. I’ve fastened my seatbelt; they’re typing “we’re taking off” on WhatsApp.

Phones not being switched to airplane mode have been one of the small horror stories of the modern age for years. Some sources say phones can interfere with the aircraft’s electronic systems, while others remind us that not a single plane has ever crashed because of a phone. Which one we believe depends entirely on how much confidence the passenger next to us inspires with their phone.

Technically, the issue is this: Phones try to communicate with base stations by sending signals. These signals may create interference in the aircraft’s radio and navigation systems. Especially in foggy weather, when pilots rely heavily on these systems for direction and altitude, even a “small possibility” is taken seriously. Aviation is, after all, a field where the word “won’t” is not very popular.

But let’s be honest. New-generation aircraft have the necessary filtering and protection systems. Smartphones also don’t spray uncontrolled signals everywhere like they used to. That’s why the likelihood of a phone being left on endangering the aircraft is almost zero. Still, it’s a known fact that some older and poorly maintained aircraft’s VHF and UHF systems can be affected by these signals. So the issue isn’t entirely a fairy tale either.

So if the risk is this low, why is there still so much insistence?

Because the issue isn’t just technical. It’s about order. It’s about everyone following the same rule at the same time. It’s about the possibility of the sentence “I’ll just turn mine on, nothing will happen” spreading to 180 people at once.

And then there’s the side of it that no one really talks about: Airplane mode is also a bit about mental health. Air travel is one of the rare moments that temporarily disconnects a person from the world. The phone doesn’t work, no one can reach you, nothing is “urgent.” I want to lean back in my seat and simply enjoy the treats and the clouds.

The uneasiness I feel when the phone in the seat next to me is on is actually much simpler than the fear of the plane crashing: What if this silence is broken? What if a loud phone call starts in a minute? What if the serenity in the sky crashes to the ground with complaints of “there’s no signal”?

It’s said that in the future, with new systems, in-flight phone calls will become widespread. Technically possible, yes. But socially, still controversial. Because no one should be forced to listen to someone else’s life story at 10,000 meters.

So I’m on airplane mode.

I’m a little detached from the world.

Whoever calls can’t reach me.

And those who can’t reach me can wait. 🎶