NYT: F.A.A. May Loosen Curbs on Fliers’ Use of Electronics

Let's face it, the rules against Tablets and Readers are a joke. Hell, if they really could cause a crash then they would have to collect the items at the door and scan for them before takeoff. Pilots use tablets now and so are Flight Attendants. Most people do not turn them off on takeoff, just put them in the seatback pocket. Lets hope the FFA does this quickly.

If you’re sitting on a plane at the gate and reading this column on an electronic gadget, you’re about to hear eight dreaded words: “Please power down your electronic devices for takeoff.” But this time next year, you might hear something very different: “Please put your devices on ‘airplane mode’ for takeoff.”

According to people who work with an industry working group that the Federal Aviation Administration set up last year to study the use of portable electronics on planes, the agency hopes to announce by the end of this year that it will relax the rules for reading devices during takeoff and landing. The change would not include cellphones.

One member of the group and an official of the F.A.A., both of whom asked for anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about internal discussions, said the agency was under tremendous pressure to let people use reading devices on planes, or to provide solid scientific evidence why they cannot.

More:http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/disruptions-f-a-a-may-loosen-curbs-on-fliers-use-of-electronics/?ref=technology