Nicole Dellolio – Opinions Editor
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that people traveling on airplanes will soon be able to watch videos and play games on electronic devices throughout their entire flight, and not just when the plane reaches a certain altitude.
This doesn’t mean that people will be able to talk on their cell phones, because that ban will still remain in effect.
According the CNN, passengers in the United States are prohibited from using electronic devices until their planes rise above 10,000 feet. Recently an FAA statement said, “many carriers will prove to the FAA that their planes allow passengers to safely use their devices in airplane mode, gate-to-gate, by the end of the year.” This means that each airport and airplane will have their own rules regarding electronic device use on planes.
Delta Airlines and JetBlue announced that they are making plans with the FAA to allow use of electronic devices below 10,000 on their flights.
“The agency is reviewing the plans to make sure they conform to the guidance we released a few hours ago,” the FAA said. “Depending on the condition of the plan, we could approve expanded use of electronic devices very soon.
Having only been on an airplane once in my life, we were told to shut off all electronic devices until told otherwise. I’ve heard people ask how and why passengers are asked to shut off their devices, and have heard the reply that the electronic devices are a safety issue because they can interfere with radio signals on the plane.
Before airlines fully switch to allowing electronic device usage throughout an entire flight, the FAA is doing tests to figure out if the aircraft can tolerate the interference.
Personally I think that if tests are still being done and people are so unsure about the outcome, it should remain that people can’t use these devices during flights because they are a safety hazard. Even though a lot of people don’t understand how one small device can impose danger to everybody on board the plane, I think that the best solution to this problem is to be 100 percent sure that these devices don’t interfere with flights.
With this new law, passengers might be asked to shut off devices if they are flying through areas that aren’t visible.
“In some instances of low visibility — about one percent of flights — some landing systems may not be proved PED tolerant, so you may be asked to turn off your device,” the FAA said.
The Air Line Pilots Association responded to this statement by saying that they are concerned that the pilots will be relying on passengers to selectively turn off their devices if they come across bad weather during the flight.
If having even one cell phone turned on during a flight can affect it negatively in any way, cell phones usage should be banned from flights at all times. It seems like it is almost impossible to take the word of passengers that they will shut off their devices at the request of the airlines. When I flew for the first time, people around me were questioning the stewardess about the reasoning behind shutting off their phones. By adding all of these new rules and regulations, it is only going to complicate the situation and cause problems for the pilots.
