Remember when there used to be a smoking section and a non-smoking section on airplanes? Ok, I don’t really remember it (I have vague recollections from when I was 5 or 6), but the whole “turn off your electronic devices until we’re above 10,000 feet” may end up becoming a similar nostalgic reference.
The FAA is meeting today to evaluate and establish a plan for whether or not to ease restrictions on when electronic devices that can be used on planes. One thing to note is that although the restrictions on electronics may be relaxed, it makes sense that some of these new rules might only apply to small devices like phones and handheld e-readers. In the event of an emergency, any loose objects can immediately become a projectile, so the use of large devices such as laptops may still be limited during take-off and landing. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how this plan develops….
Larger objects, if they don’t become projectiles, also would more likely hinder the evacuation quickness of passengers and their neighbors. A kindle on the floor won’t trip up someone trying to get out or be hard to unstrap your seatbelt, but a laptop potentially would. That’s why the seats need to be in the upright position and tray tables need to be up – the ability to quickly evacuate in case of emergency.
Yep, I completely agree. I think that laptops will still need to be put away, but cell phones and Kindles will eventually be cleared for use. Although it may get interesting to see where they draw the line since tablets and laptops are starting to merge down the same product line….