After the American FCC’s bombshell ruling that phones and other devices were safe for use on airplanes, the European Aviation Safety Agency looked into its own regulations and made a change. Scandinavian Airlines became the first carrier to allow gate-to-gate electronic use on its flights. Now British Airways has followed suit and made gadgets even easier to use on flights.
British Airways announced its new rules on in-flight gadgets today. Passengers will be able to keep electronic devices switched on for the entirety of their flight. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority points out that no texts or calls will be allowed, and that wireless devices will have to be airplane mode, too. Laptops are also taboo.
British Airways’ flight training manager, Captain Ian Pringle (pictured here) explained what this means: “The easing of restrictions will provide an average of 30 minutes additional personal screen time.” You can expect more European airlines to follow suit soon, and similar changes are coming to US carriers as well.
It’s important to point out that this is not a move to allow the use of cell phone voice or even mobile data while in flight. The major difference is just the lack of the need to power down at take off and landing. Travelers in Europe can breath easy for now that they won’t have to deal with obnoxious blabbermouths when flying.