I have always questioned the reason behind the claim that use of personal electronic devices during flight might interfere with the flight controls and communications itself, but surely them engineers know what they are doing prior to issuing such a command, right? Having said that, it is a pleasant surprise to hear that those who are traveling on Qantas and Virgin Australia are given the green light to be able to use their personal electronic devices in mid-flight, and this would include smartphones.
The new rule is applicable not only for domestic flights, but also for international flights where these two Australian airlines are concerned. Needless to say, the kind of devices that fall under such a category would include tablets, e-book readers, portable game consoles like the PS Vita and the Nintendo 3DS, and of course, the smartphone that we mentioned earlier on.
Apparently, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) had given their nod of approval for the applications sent from both Australian airlines. There is a precedent to this as select airlines in the US, Europe and even New Zealand do give permission for passengers to keep their handsets turned on during flights. Chances are these electronic devices will have to be on flight mode for certain parts of the flight before being given the green light to turn them on later.
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