Want to be able to use your iPad, Kindle, iPod or other electronic device during take-off and landing why flying? Write your congressperson and ask them to support upcoming legislation to change the rules.
According to Politico, Sen. Claire McCaskill, Democrat from Missouri, said on Thursday that she would write legislation to allow passengers to use electronic devices on all parts of the flight.
This is long overdue, and it’s ridiculous that the FAA has been dragging their feet on this, especially since they have given flight crews the go-ahead to use iPads for referencing flight manuals.
If it’s OK to use iPads in the cockpit, it should be equally fine to use them in the cabin. Even though I’m not a frequent flyer, I’ll be contacting my congresspeople about this. It’s just silly to have to turn them off and stow them, especially since I know many passengers don’t bother to turn them off.
I don’t like the current – don’t crash the plane with your ereader policy, but is it a good precedent to allow politicians to over ride the agency set up to ensure flight safety? Perhaps a your congress could apply some pressure to the FAA to prioritize the testing rather than just overturn their authority.
Is it really THAT big of a deal to not stare at a screen for a few minutes of the day?
Heaven forbid, people won’t be able to finish that last level of Angry Birds.
It’s not a Wi-Fi / 3G interference issue; that’s been debunked for a while now.
It’s (a) a safety issue as far as things flying around the cabin in case of a problem on take off or landing, and (b) because no one wants 300 people on the flight all yapping on their cell phones, each speaking louder over the next person.
@David Derrico: “It’s not a Wi-Fi / 3G interference issue; that’s been debunked for a while now.”
Really? Debunked by whom? Geek websites? The Radio Technical Commission on Aeronautics? The FAA? ICAO? Airlines? Aircraft manufacturers?
FAA policy is essentially that it is up to the airline. Specifically, FAA “allow[s] for the operation of PEDs [personal electronic devices] that the operator of the aircraft has determined will not interfere with the navigation or communication system of that aircraft.”
Perhaps the airlines did not get the memo that the matter has been “debunked”.
I agree w/ PA Wilson. It’s one thing to pressure the FAA to act on something. And another to simply leglislate.
Sounds to me like a certain senator would like to use their iPad while waiting to fly to a fundraiser & -voila- now they’ll be able to.
If phones and other devices really interfered with planes, we’d have a lot of plane crashes, since every flight probably has several people who forgot (or “forgot”) to turn off their phones or whatever. Hasn’t happened, ever.
Jeff Bezos filled up a plane with powered-on, Wi-Fi & 3G-on Kindles and it had no issues.
The airlines got the memo, but they don’t want to let you use your devices for the reasons I mentioned.
Well, the politicos haven’t yet been able to dissuade the TSA from allowing 2.36″ long folding pocket knives on airplanes so perhaps they will be equally unsuccessful here. As I understand it, the Catch-22 of electronic device operation during takeoff and landing is rooted in FAA policy requiring extensive testing of each and every different device. If you approve one and not another, you then have the problem of explaining to denied passengers why an enabled passenger can light up his/her device and they can’t. If that’s the case, no wonder that they are loath to open such a can of worms.
Frank, that is a good point also.
@David, if the problem is things flying around, then they need to outlaw hardback books. Under the Dome and its ilk would cause a lot more damage than my Kindle. As I understand the proposed legislation, talking on cell phones would still be disallowed during that time.
@Noneamouse, And no, it’s not vital to finish that last level of Angry Birds. During a normal takeoff and landing, it’s not big deal. But my husband was flying last month and ended up in a long line to taxi. On the order of 30 minutes. He really would have liked to have been able to read a book for those 30 minutes, but, like me, he doesn’t read paper books anymore, so he was stuck. Skymall magazine is only good for about 10 minutes of entertainment. 😉
Don’t get me wrong, I’m annoyed by the double standard also and just want to read my Kindle — which would be less damaging than a hardcover book. But it’s a blanket rule to avoid problems — they’re not going to weigh each device and let you use your Kindle and tell the guy next to you to turn off his iPad. And I do understand them not wanting iPads and laptops out where they could become projectiles in the case of a crash or rough landing.