Soon You'll Be Able to Use Gizmos During Takeoff
Fliers may soon be able use most features of their new iPhones, along with their Kindles or iPads, during takeoff and landing—without getting dirty looks, or worse, from the flight crew. The FAA will reportedly soon receive a long-awaited report from an industry panel recommending that the ban on using portable electronic devices under 10,000 feet—in other words, during the takeoff and landing phases of flight—be eased, probably by early next year. That's a relief for many passengers who don't understand the reasoning behind the ban and, judging from scores of comments received by the FAA, resent the rule as yet another indignity of traveling by air these days.
As we reported earlier, the FAA had already been leaning in this direction, not only because the ban is so unpopular, but also because there's ample evidence that most devices wouldn't create the type of interference that would threaten the safety of the flight, as long feared.
Besides, several studies have shown that a certain percentage of passengers are already breaking the rules, with no ill effects.
But it looks like FAA won't go as far as some smartphone addicts would like: Text messaging and emailing probably still won't be permitted during takeoffs or landings, even on jets with Wi-Fi access. And cell phone calls will continue to be banned; in fact, that one wasn't even on the table—and polls have showed little support for a new 'chattering class' in the skies.
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