New FAA Regs on Electronics In Flight
 

Hooray. We may just be a couple of months away from being able to use our Kindles and ipads on planes for the full flight from take-off to landing. Here's a quick summary of today's FAA rule: http://tinyurl.com/pwjv9gw.

As long as phones are still verboten, I am ok with this.

Ditto.

I'm mostly wanting wifi throughout flight and am glad the cell phone yakking is still off limits.

The easing of restrictions still applies to domestic flights only. I was on two AA fights yesterday. It was fine to have a handheld device on during takeoff and landing on the domestic flight, although still in airplane mode. (No laptops could be out.) Everything had to be stowed and completely off for takeoff on the international flight out of the U.S.

This may or may not be an issue of domestic vs. international but about types of aircraft. The FAA could just be more forward-thinking than the regulators in other countries, so destination could matter (some but not all international flights for instance). But I've been hearing that it's a bit misleading for airlines to say they "allow" electronic devices since they have to prove by aircraft type which are safe and which aren't, and all that testing has not been completed yet.

AA does make the distinction between domestic and international flights:

"Good news! You're now able to read your e-books, play games, and watch videos on your portable electronic devices from gate to gate within the U.S."

Some of the planes operated by American Eagle have not yet been certified, but all the mainline routes are okay, as long as the flight is wholly within the U.S.

And I just got this message from US Airways:

<i>News about portable electronics in flight.

We're excited to announce that you can now use your portable electronic devices under 10,000 feet. That means smaller, handheld approved devices can be used in ‘airplane mode' during all phases of flight – from taxi to takeoff to landing.

To celebrate, we'll have a special edition of #SpotUS and you can win an iPad mini and more. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the details.

A few things to note about this new change:

Smaller devices can be used on flights within the 50 United States
Larger devices, like full-size laptops, must be turned off and stowed during taxi, takeoff and landing
Headsets should be used for any audible portable device

This update only pertains to mainline flights, but we’re working to implement this policy on our Express carriers as soon as possible.

Phone calls are still limited and can be made prior to departure, while the aircraft is parked at the gate, after landing while taxiing to the gate or as advised by the flight crew.</i>

Thanks very much for the clarification.