I'm a bit uptight when it comes to electronic devices and make a point of telling passengers that flight mode + black screen isn't enough, because that is exactly what our PAs say ("Your mobile phone should already be turned off, and can only be used in flight mode once the fasten seatbelt sign has been turned off. If your device is still on, please ensure you switch it to flight mode prior to turning it off.")
The way I see it - interference aside - is that if the phone is turned completely off then it means more effort/waiting on the passenger's part to boot it back up, and they will more than likely wait until 10,000ft as opposed to using it the second the crew walks away.
The great thing about smart phones is the majority of them are similar to the iPhone when powering them down - holding down the power button and swiping/tapping a message on the screen. However, I've asked someone to turn their phone off before, at first they put it in their shirt pocket with the screen still on, then when asked again they retrieve it and put it in the seat pocket (screen still clearly on!). Some people seem to think we're stupid
Originally Posted by Gulfstreamaviator
I read somewhere perhaps 30% are in lockers in an operational mode.
I always like getting passengers that make the extra effort to quickly pull out their bag to make sure their phone is off (or even admit they forgot to turn it off and are doing so now). It may seem trivial to some, but at least some people care enough to do as the PAs ask
