It’s bad enough that, at least on most commercial flights, there’s no hope of any Web access, and yet, whenever we board a plane ready to take-off or prepare ourselves to land, we’re always urged to switch our devices off by the captain. Of course, this is rather a minor annoyance compared with the potential ramifications of interfering with any of the plane’s essential equipment, and through what most would deem a very remote fear of crashing should we not abide by the rules, most of us oblige, and simply turn our devices off. But now, the FAA has approved the use of electronics during the entire duration of a flight, and with Delta Airlines looking to put the new motion into action as of tomorrow, you’ll be able to enjoy Candy Crush and Lady Gaga uninterrupted through your journey.
As of today, the FAA is officially allowing the use of certain electronics during flight from start to finish, meaning you won’t have to mess around with turning your device off or concentrating on the fact that you actually hate flying. Oh, just me then?
The agency is said to be immediately offering airlines revised guidance on the rules, and with Delta already taking steps to implement the new rules, travellers could – as of tomorrow – take advantage, provided the FAA gives the mandatory green light.
Things like reading ebooks, listening to music, catching up on Breaking Bad or playing Angry Birds will no longer be illegal during takeoff. There are some exceptions to the rules, but nothing that should hinder the general usage to which we are accustomed, and provided the mobile device is held or placed in the storage unit provided directly in front, there should be no issues.
You will have to throw your devices into airplane mode, but considering that you won’t be able to make a call or check Reddit at any point during your flight anyway, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
The FAA expects the new rules to be fully in place with all major airlines by the end of the year, and considering how much we hate to be detached from them for any amount of time, this is definitely good news.
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