FAA Getting Word On In-Flight Use Of Portable Electronics Next Week

According to USA Today, the FAA is due to hear back from a panel of industry representatives, which could recommend that the agency relax its rules regarding in-flight use of portable electronics such as phones, tablets, and laptops:

The panel, comprised of industry and labor representatives, will meet Tuesday and Wednesday and is expected by the end of the month to provide a report and recommendations to the FAA on whether current rules restricting the use of portable electronics during the start and end of a flight should be loosened.

“The FAA recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft,” the agency said in a statement Monday. “That is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions. . . . We will wait for the group to finish its work before we determine next steps.”

As it stands, you can’t use these devices during takeoffs and landings. Though I know many people who don’t turn their devices off completely. They may disable WiFi and cell service during those times and nothing bad has happened. But the current rules are a precaution against something bad happening. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this next week as I know a lot of people would jump for joy if these rules were relaxed.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from The IT Nerd

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading