Sincelast week ’s “ Take Back Takeoff ” Charles William Post , I ’ve had the delight of talking to executives & engineers from most of North America ’s major airlines . First : the spoilt news .
https://gizmodo.com/can-my-ipod-make-this-airplane-explode-5420641
The big airline business are n’t budging — yet . Here ’s something Tim Smith of American Airlines send off me . It typify the answer from the vainglorious carriers :
The fact is ( and as a technology expert you no doubt already have a go at it this ) technology make hundreds of novel mathematical product each class at a pace that is so fast that we simply can not keep up with it . We as a party do not have the prison term , nor the money to quiz every equipment that comes down the freeway . Plus , even if we did that and one eccentric of gimmick were to be approved by examination , it adds a significant incumbrance on our inflight stave to try and police whether something is actually an approved equipment or not . Many electronic gimmick and products often attend alike – meaning it either lease an expert in such devices or someone who has the fourth dimension to go from seat to invest with a lean of devices seek to check the model numbers on each machine prior to take - off or landing . That is not at all practical . There are many other thing going on during that period of flight of stairs – several of them of import , mandate safety - related step .
Three obstacle are in the agency :
• EMI , or electromagnetic preventative , which most of the airlines are uncoerced to hold is the least of their business organization .
• Regulation and the price of compliance . Most of the airlines think that examination would be too expensive .
• Customer condom . More than anything , it seems most airline are concerned with passengers being aware during base hit briefings or in the case of an accident .
If thing go to plan , I ’ll be join others in showing how EMI from small gadgets is a non - issue sometime in the next week or so . But even the airline business do it that dozens of iPods and Kindles and other non - transmitting devices are functioning without issue in planes every day .
As far as regulation from the FAA is concerned , FAA 14 CFR 91.21B pretty much punts this to the airlines : “ It should be noted that the responsibility for
permit rider manipulation of a exceptional PED technology lies only with the hustler . ”
And client safety , well … it ’s an subject . An issue for which I have a batch of fellow feeling with the airlines . You do n’t desire laptops fly around if there ’s turbulence — but you do n’t want that during any part of the flight , yet laptops are cosher at EL . You require hoi polloi to be able to listen to music or learn TV , but not drop announcements . As both a customer satisfaction and a customer safety outlet , it gets murky very speedily .
But there is good news show !
I ’m happy to report that more than one airway responded to my queries with more than rote ( if favorable ) dismissal . And while nothing is for certain until it actually befall , it ’s looking like there ’s a chance the more progressive airlines are ready to take a look at the policy and question if it befits a modern airline with modern passengers .
More very soon . ( With more terrible headlines . )
journey
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