Lufthansa has announced that it has gained approval from the German Federal Aviation Authority (LBA) to allow the use of Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs)on Airbus aircraft in the Lufthansa Main-Line fleet from the 1st March 2014.
Lufthansa Airbus A321 Retrojet – Image GhettoIFE
Currently, Lufthansa allow the continuous use of PEDs only on its Boeing 747-8I fleet (since 1st January 2014).
This is quite an expansion as Lufthansa operates a substantial Airbus fleet, made up of:
- 32 A319s
- 60 A320s
- 62 A321s (Both A321-100 and A321-200)
- 18 A330-300s
- 22 A340-300s
- 24 A340-600s
- 10 A380s
(Data: Wikipedia)
A total of 228 aircraft will be cleared. Combined with the 20 Boeing 747-8I’s, this is 248, leaving only the Boeing 737 and Boeing 747-400 fleets un-cleared. Lufthansa is working with LBA to get the other aircraft cleared for PED usage.
Jens Bischof, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) states:
“We are delighted that we have now been granted official approval for our guests to use their smartphones, tablets and computers uninterrupted on all Airbus aircraft, including our A380s
We know that many passengers would like to use their devices uninterrupted while on board. We will now be able to facilitate this on most of our flights.”
We all know the score regarding PEDs, but for reference this covers:
- Smartphones (in flight mode)
- Tablets (in flight mode)
- E-Readers
- MP3 Players
Laptops are not considered personal devices, and must be stowed during flight-critical stages of flight (taxing, taking off and landing).
Lufthansa joins British Airways and Ryanair as European operators who allow the use of PEDs during all stages of flight where devices can be used on the majority of the fleet.
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