FAA Allows Electronics During Takeoff, LandingFAA Allows Electronics During Takeoff, Landing

Federal Aviation Administration no longer sees mobile devices as threat to air safety.

Thomas Claburn, Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

October 31, 2013

2 Min Read
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The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said that airlines can safely allow passengers to use portable electronic devices during all phases of flight and began offering guidance to air carriers about how to implement the rule change.

As airlines in the U.S. comply, passengers will be permitted to use mobile phones, tablets, and e-readers, either in non-transmitting airplane mode or with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if available and allowed, during taxiing, takeoff and landing.

"We believe today's decision honors both our commitment to safety and consumers' increasing desire to use their electronic devices during all phases of their flights," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox, in a statement.

Consumers' affinity for their electronic devices put pressure on the FAA to re-evaluate a policy that critics have dismissed as having no real scientific basis. In response, the agency said in August 2012 that it was forming a group to study whether in-flight usage of personal electronic devices posed a threat to safety.

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The FAA first put rules in place limiting electronics back in 1966, based on studies several years prior that found portable FM radios could interfere with VHF Omni Range navigation systems. In the mid-1990s, the proliferation of portable electronic devices prompted a technical group to recommend further restrictions as a precaution.

Under the FAA's new policy, in-flight usage of cellular networks to make calls will continue to be prohibited. Although the rule-making committee concluded that emanations from personal devices have no impact on airplane avionics, it did not evaluate the impact of stronger cellular radio transmissions.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, who wrote to the FAA last year urging the agency to revise its policy, celebrated the announcement as "a win for common sense."

It's up to airlines now to inform the FAA how they will respond. The agency anticipates that many carriers will allow portable electronic devices more broadly by the end of the year.

Already, Delta Air Lines says it is ready to allow passengers to use portable electronic devices in airplane mode during taxi, takeoff and landing on domestic flights. In-flight Wi-Fi will be offered to customers once planes have ascended above 10,000 feet.

Delta has submitted its plan and intends to implement it as soon as Nov. 1 with FAA approval. The company expects its 550 regional Delta Connection aircrafts to be ready by the end of the year.

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About the Author

Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, information, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

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