Berne

Hi,
What is the ruling on e-readers as a passenger on a dom,reg, or inter flight?

Regards,

Berne

rickair7777

Same as any electronic device...must be off for taxi, takeoff, and landing. That's the reason I don't have one...as a commuter that could add up to a lot of time doing nothing.

I would imagine that someday they will be approved for use during all phases of flight, since they are very passive devices from an electronic perspective.

Comet

what's the reasoning behind not allowing them to be on?

rickair7777

Same reasoning as all other consumer electronics...a lack of absolute certainty that no harmful interference will occur. Electronics installed on airplanes (in-flight entertainment for example) are carefully designed, tested, and certified not to interfere with critical system on that specific airplane.

In order to achieve that level of confidence across the board, ALL consumer electronic devices would have to be tested on EVERY commercial aircraft type, in EVERY seat location, under all flight conditions...that would cost more that the national debt.

Most devices have a very low probability of interference, but the FAA folks are not paid to take risks when they can CYA at no cost or hassle to themselves.

There are a few legit concerns...

Audio devices could cause a pax to miss critical safety announcements.

Deployed laptops could interfere with an evacuation.

Cell-phones will DEFINITELY cause interference on some or most airliners. If a cell phone user happens to be seated near the wrong antenna, it is very noticeable to the pilots. The old analog phones, if used in the rear of my airplane, would set off the cargo bay smoke/fire alarm. This would require an immediate descent and landing to the nearest suitable airport, and crash/fire would have to respond. You would also have to blow the halon bottles, which would ground the airplane and cost several tens of thousands of dollars to replace.

Eventually one hopes they will define a "standard" allowable electronic footprint of emissions within certain frequencies and power ranges which are allowable on all commercial airplanes. Manufacturers could then comply with the generic standard.

abelenky

Having the devices off makes it easier for the FA's to insist that the items be properly stowed in the seatback pocket.

An item that is stowed is less likely to become a pointy projectile in the event of a sudden change in acceleration.