Seat Backs Up and Portable Electronic Devices ... On?

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday a rule that could mean passengers soon will not have to put down their riveting kindle books as they wait for takeoff and landing.

FAA administrator Michael Huerta said that airlines can safely allow the use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) in "airplane mode" during all phases of air travel. The decision came in response to a September report from a group assembled to study the request that came from consumer demand. The Portable Electronic Devices Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), which began investigating the issue in January, determined:

• Most commercial airplanes can tolerate radio interference signals from PEDs.
• The FAA should provide airlines with new procedures to assess if their airplanes can tolerate radio interference from PEDs.
• Once an airline verifies their fleet is PED tolerant, it may allow passengers to use handheld, lightweight electronic devices such as tablets, e-readers, and smartphones, at all altitudes.
• In some instances of severe weather with low-visibility, the crew should continue to instruct passengers to turn off their devices during landing.

I commend the dedication and excellent work of all the experts who spent the past year working together to give us a solid report so we can now move forward with a safety-based decision on when passengers can use PEDs on airplanes, said Huerta.

The new recommendation, which will be music to most passengers' ears, stops short of allowing travelers to make voice phone calls in flight, because the action is prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission.