It wasn’t too long ago that the FAA decided to go ahead and approve the use of personal electronic devices during the entire flight, meaning that passengers will no longer have turn off their devices during take-off and landing. However considering that the FAA is part of the US Department of Transportation, what this means is that for those of us living in Asia or Europe or other parts of the world, these new rules and guidelines might not necessarily apply. Well the good news is that the European version of the FAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), has decided to get on board with the program themselves, according to a press release.
According to the EASA, they will be publishing new guidelines by the end of November 2013 in which it will allow passengers to use personal electronic devices during all phases of the flight, as long as the devices have been set to Airplane Mode, essentially disabling the radios on said devices. Laptops are the exception and due to their relative bulkiness (we know some could argue that Ultrabooks aren’t considered bulky), they will need to be stowed away during take-off and landing. Patrick Ky, EASA Executive Director states, “This is a major step in the process of expanding the freedom to use personal electronic devices on-board aircraft without compromise in safety” In the long run the EASA is looking for a way to certify mobile devices to be used on board to make or receive phone calls.
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