The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is exploring ways to make it easier for airlines to allow passengers to use personal electronic devices such as tablets, e-readers and music players during takeoffs and landings.
The FAA is discussing the issue with airlines, aircraft manufacturers, consumer electronics makers, and flight attendant unions to see if there are practical ways to test devices to see if they are safe for passengers to use during critical phases of flight.
Technically, FAA rules already permit any airline to test specific makes and models to determine if they generate enough power that they could interfere with sensitive cockpit radios, navigation instruments and other critical equipment. But few airlines have done that kind of extensive testing because there are so many devices, and testing them all isn't practical. Moreover, different versions of phones/tablets etc, some much older than others, would also need to be tested as would the "additive effects" of a planeload of 200 people using devices at once.
FAA reviews plans for use of on-board electronic devices
