Gadgets: New rules for in-flight devices

Fliers, rejoice, said Luz Lazo and Mark Berman in WashingtonPost.com. The Federal Aviation Administration announced last week that air travelers will “soon be able to use their tablets and other electronic devices from gate to gate.” While airlines will have some leeway in deciding when to implement the new regulations, before too long “passengers will be able to read e-books and watch videos on their devices without having to turn their devices off during takeoff and landing.” Cellphones and other signal-emitting “personal electronic devices,” however, will only be allowed in airplane mode, which makes them unable to emit or receive signals.

Let’s not get too excited, said Darrell Etherington in TechCrunch.com. The rules for PEDs will still differ depending on the carrier and even the type of plane you board. And it may take a while before the new rules are in place, even though the FAA expects most airlines to permit PED use “in airplane mode, gate to gate, by the end of the year.” The continued insistence on smartphones’ remaining in airplane mode means that in-flight phone calls will remain banned. But on the plus side, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use will be allowed by many airlines. That means travelers will be able to log on to the Internet and use peripheral accessories, like wireless keyboards.

Some carriers aren’t wasting any time, said Brian Resnick, Dustin Volz, and Matt Berman in NationalJournal.com. Delta Airlines said it will immediately start letting passengers use their gadgets in airplane mode from gate to gate. The company’s alacrity seems proof that the FAA’s restrictions were always “based more on caution than hard facts.” Today’s advanced aircraft systems are no longer as vulnerable to radio frequency emissions, making these 1960s regulations obsolete. But while travelers obsessed with their gadgets will be relieved, “airplanes aren’t just going to be a free-for-all now that you can read your Kindle during takeoff.”

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Indeed, some restrictions won’t change, said Carrie Mihalcik in CNET.com. While smartphones and tablets will become somewhat more useful in the air, laptops may still need to be stowed during takeoff and landing. And even though Wi-Fi use will be allowed in principle, don’t bet on streaming the latest TV shows and movies on Netflix: Airlines don’t typically turn on access to onboard Wi-Fi until a flight reaches 10,000 feet, and even then, the service “can be expensive and painfully slow.” Current systems are so slow, in fact, that “if airlines were to offer expanded Wi-Fi service, even during takeoff and landing, you likely still wouldn’t be able to do things like stream videos.”