Starting in December, travelers will be permitted to use handheld devices at all stages of flights on most flights within Europe. Following a similar announcement by the FAA in October, the EASA released a ruling this week to permit WiFi-enabled devices be turned on during flights, including take-off and landings.
Cellular radios must be kept off, however, which means the devices must be in airplane mode.
So far, cell phones, e-book readers, handheld gaming consoles, and tablets are expected to be part of the ruling, where laptops will probably have to be stowed during take-off and landing. More details will come out by the end of this month.
It is expected that individual countries within Europe will follow the FAA’s lead and expect airlines to not only apply for permits to allow this practice, but to submit to safety testing to ensure the aircraft’s equipment will not be affected.
The above article is a summary. Please see the source article at Google News. |
