New guidelines released by the Federal Aviation Association on Thursday that will allow passengers gate-to-gate electronics usage with airlines whose planes are properly protected from electronic interference, the Associated Press reported.
The FAA said passengers will now be able to engage in electronic use during takeoffs, landings and taxiing, adding that most airliners and planes have been modified for Wi-Fi usage at higher altitudes are all expected to meet the criteria, according to the AP.
Although passengers will be able to use electronic devices to read, work, play games, listen to music or watch movies at any time on the plane, they will still not be allowed to talk on their cellphones, the AP reported.
The anticipated update in FAA guidelines will still prohibit phone call usage because the Federal Communication Commission regulates authority on in-flight cellphone calls, not the FAA, according to the AP. The commission prohibits phone calls due to concerns that phones on planes can strain the ability of networks to keep up with in-air devices as they try to connect with cellphone towers, interfering with cellphone service on the ground.
The pre-existing guidelines currently state passengers must turn off their smartphones, tablets or any other electronic device once the airplane door is shut, and are not allowed to turn on devices until the plane reaches 10,000 feet, the AP reported.
The guidelines also state passengers must shut down all devices again once the plane starts to descend, and can't restart until the plane is on the ground.
Before the new guidelines take effect on planes, FAA has to approve airline plans on how they meet the new guidelines and show they've updated their flight crew training manuals and rules for stowing devices to reflect the new guidelines, the AP reported. Delta said it was submitting a plan to implement the new policy.
In recent years the FAA has faced mounting pressure to loosen electronic usage restrictions by critics such as Senator Clair McCaskill from Missouri who said there's no valid safety reasons for the prohibitions, the AP reported.
As smartphones and electronic device usage reach all-time highs, restrictions have become harder to enforce and studies state over a third of passengers either ignore or forget to turn off their devices, according to the AP.
FAA administrator Michael Huerta said in a news conference that the new regulations are ready to take place and most airlines are already qualified for greater electronic device use, but passengers shouldn't expect changes to happen immediately, the AP reported. Huerta added that implementation will vary by airline.
Amazon.com is among the critics who are pressing for looser FAA restrictions after the company loaded an airliner with their Kindle e-readers in 2011 and flew the plane around to test for problems with the transmission released by the device but did not find any, the AP reported. The e-reader only emits a small transmission when the user is turning a page, but transmissions are stronger if the device is downloading or sending data.
According to Douglas Kidd of the National Association of Airline Passengers, interference from such devices do occur even if they are minimal, while other committee members said there are only anecdotal reports from pilots to support that the devices can interfere with aircraft systems, and most of those reports are very old, the AP reported.
