According to reports in the New York Times, the US Federal Aviation Administration says it is to take a 'fresh look’ at the situation, at least in relation to e-readers and tablets.
Although there have been no actual verified reports of personal electronic gadgets causing interference to a plane’s avionics, the FAA and its equivalent agencies around the world have taken the cautious route of banning them during landing and take-off.
The FAA situation is that airlines can ask for a relaxation of the rule if they can show that they have tested the devices and proved they don’t interfere.
But this would be a tremendously expensive process for individual airlines, because it would mean testing each version of a device like an iPad separately, in an empty plane in flight, for each model of plane in the airline’s fleet.
Now the FAA is to look at the matter itself. This might mean airlines clubbing together to fund tests organised by the Administration.
So far, a baby step in a giant’s journey. In the US, it is estimated there will be 40m e-readers like the Amazon Kindle in circulation by the end of this year, and 60m tablets like the iPad.
That’s a lot of switching off when the aircraft doors are closed.
