FAA: Airline Passengers May Use Most Electronic Devices in Flight
Cell phone use will continue to be banned in flight for calls, but users will be permitted to keep them running in airplane mode.
Airline passengers on U.S. flights will soon be allowed to use most personal electronic devices (PEDs) during any phase of a flight, from taxiing to takeoff, climbing and landing, under expanded new rules announced Oct. 31 by the FAA.
What that means, according to the agency, is that e-readers, gaming devices, video players and similar devices will no longer have to be shut down for takeoffs and landings. Cell phones, meanwhile, will no longer have to be completely shut off, as requested by many airlines, but will instead be permitted to remain in airplane mode during flights. The new rules will have no effect on existing bans on the use of cell phones for actual calls during all flights.
