Portable Electronics to be Allowed Below 10,000 Feet
FINALLY! The FAA relents on electronic devises. Delta and JetBlue are the first US airlines to allow this new access on their flights, and United, US Air, and American will follow as soon as their fleet is certified to be safe from electronic interference.
For years the FAA has contended that it is probably unsafe to use electronics below 10,000 feet because of possible interference with communications and navigation equipment. I think most people believed this contention to be total bullshit, and given how many times I simply forgot to turn off my phone or iPad, I am sure the interference was negligible or non existent.
There are other possible theories for the rule’s having stuck around so long. Some believe it was for safety reasons. If you’re engrossed in a game of Candy Crush, or if you’re listening to loud music on your iPod or phone, then you may miss important safety instructions or even more important emergency procedures. Given that most airline IFE’s are now usable while on the ground, I doubt this claim.
Another theory has been that modern electronics emit signals that may be doing irreparable damage to sensitive navigation equipment, damage that wouldn’t be detectable until it’s too late. Given the shear number of passengers who simply forgot to turn their devices off, and the growing number of people who just chose to ignore the direction, probability would dictate that at this point we would have seen some sort of catastrophic navigation problem on an aircraft whose systems were disabled by those evil, powerful iPads.
Regardless, this is great news for passengers who are more frequently forced to endure long tarmac delays and arrival delays. Now instead of reading the in-seat magazine for the 3rd time, you can comfortably finish your book, listen to another song, or play your 109th game of solitaire.
