The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will loosen restrictions on electronic devices during flights.
The use of electronic devices will be allowed during "all phases of flight," except cell phone use will remain restricted, The New York Times reports. Talking on a cell phone will remain banned, as the Federal Communications Commission regulates phones.
FAA administrator Michael P. Huerta said that airlines would be testing their equipment and that most devices would be usable, provided they were in "airplane mode." He commented, "In some instances of low visibility, 1 percent of flights, some landing systems may not be proven to tolerate the interference."
Huerta added, "In those cases, passengers may be asked to turn off personal electronic devices."
According to CNN, the FAA prohibited use of electronic devices on airplanes until they were above 10,000 feet. An FAA statement noted that the changes are not immediate, but rather "many carriers will prove to the FAA that their planes allow passengers to safely use their devices in airplane mode, gate-to-gate, by the end of the year."
Huerta said, "Each airline will determine how and when this will happen."
The changes have come about after an FAA panel investigated the issue and reported that most airplanes are not affected much by radio interference signals.
image: Wikimedia Commons
