Alitalia and IPOD's & Other Devices
 

Does Alitalia restrict the use of digital devices in flight such as an IPOD? I'm flying a 767 one way and 777 the other. Flying on a 747 three years ago, they did not allow the use of portable CD players or camcorders. Thanks for any info.

ttt

Have you contacted the airline directly to inquire about their policy on electronic devices?

Their website says: "Before boarding, you will be asked to switch off all electronic equipment. Aeronautical authorities have established this security measure to avoid any interference with aircraft controls. However, you may use electric razors, non-digital sound systems and portable computers that are not connected to a printer or CD player during certain phases of the flight and with the authorisation of the flight crew. Other electronic devices, cellular phones in particular, may only be switched back on after you have left the aircraft."

I'd read that to allow iPods, but not CD players.

I would note carefully the phrase "and with the authorisation of the flight crew." If the FA isn't familiar with the ipod, he/she may decide to nix use of it (unfamiliarity breeds discontent).

At first I thought CD players and printers were a problem because they have moving parts. Of course, strictly speaking, the hard drive on a laptop is a moving part. So do electric razors have moving parts.

So maybe the problem arises when two devices (e.g, computer and printer) are communicating with each other (e.g. cell phone and somewhere, another phone, or computer and printer)? Anyone know?

Hi sue,

Electonic devices emit electromagnetic radiation that can interfere with the performance of othe electronic devices. A lot depends on intensity and frequency of the emitted radiation.

This is why some devices are OK and others are not.

Thanks all! I was hesitant in contacting Alitalia and was more interested in personal experiences, because rules and Italy..... well you all know!

Ira, thanks for your reply. I was pondering whether devices with moving parts would consume relatively more power and thus contribute more electromagnetic radiation, but then I realized that this doesn't work as a good 'rule-of-thumb', for the reasons I stated.

The thing is,'non-digital sound systems' is a rather confusing description. For example, Apple computer describes the IPOD as an 'ultra light hard-drive based digital music device.' Now, laptops with hard drives are permitted, so one would think the IPOD would be acceptable. Yet the IPOD is not non-digital, obviously.

Surely there's a better rule-of-thumb than Alitalia's by which one can determine whether something would or would not cause interference? It would be need to be universally applicable (i.e. wouldn't necessarily be specific to a given country's approval codes for electronic equipment.)