US Federal Aviation Administration rules on Personal Electronic Devices

… And it’s an interesting read to say the least.

http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=15254 is where the full release is.

The first thing to note is that implementation of the guidance is down to the airline – subject to their own risk assessment. This is actually important as one aircraft may be more sensitive than another. This could mean different airlines have different rules how to handle electronics on board

Secondly, the FAA has not considered the use of voice or cellular activity at all. This – is no bad thing at all (as you’ve mostly agreed with me in a poll last year that we should ducktape those who love talking on their phones to the wings).

The list the FAA has produced notes lightweight items are the order of the day such as:

• Tablets,
• E-readers,
• Smartphones in flight-safe mode

Note that Heavier items such as laptops, ultrabooks, netbooks are not mentioned, and should be stowed until indicated safe to use.

The FAA even created a pretty graphic

Infographic – FAA.gov

The rollout of this will take time – JetBlue initially were going to roll this out at 18:00EDT on the 31st October, but had to pull back after not receiving FAA approval for change. Delta have also filed to roll out the new changes too.

This will have major a major impact providing it is safe to do so. The flight critical phase is critical for a reason. Whilst devices provide distraction, the safety case for them during an emergency could be tested if an evacuation is delayed because someone’s headphones are tangling up an exit row.

Another impact point will be the non US airlines – and how they and their aviation authorities deal with this change, and choose to how to implement it. This could lead to friction with passengers expecting to use a device on a flight, and is told not to because the plane is obeying another country’s rules.

None the less, for those who need to be distracted, or love to read… this could be a wonderful step forward.

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