Paula Dwyer , Columnist

Enjoy Your Flight, but Still Not Your IPhone

The easing of rules on using electronic devices on airplanes isn't all it's cracked up to be.

November 1, 2013 at 4:45 PM UTC

Paula Dwyer is a senior editor with the New York editing hub, focusing on daily and long-form enterprise. She was London bureau chief for Businessweek and Washington economics editor for the New York Times, and is a co-author of “Take on the Street: How to Fight for Your Financial Future.

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From the headlines, you might think you will be able to chat, tweet and shop on your mobile phone throughout your next flight. The Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday that it's lifting a five-decade-old ban on using electronic devices whenever planes taxi, take off and land.

But the newpolicyis far more circumscribed than the news articles let on. Whether you can use a device will depend on what type it is, what airline you fly and even the weather. The whole thing is so confusing and arbitrary it's questionable whether to call it an improvement.