You finally don't have to power down your electronics, at least if you fly with Delta or JetBlue. According to CNBC, both airlines are now allowing flyers to use electronics from the departure gate all the way to the arrival gate, without turning them off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the use of electronics yesterday, though it remains up to independent airlines as to whether or not to allow them.
The new guidelines allow you to use eReaders, portable gaming devices and DVD players, though cell phones can not be used for placing calls or text messages, which presumably means they need to be left in airplane mode, which cuts off that access. Still, you can manage to get some work done on a laptop (if a flight attendant deems that safe enough, though it may be too large) or use a Bluetooth keyboard with your device.Of course, you won't have access to the tray table during take-off and landing, as usual. Wi-Fi use has also been approved, though it doesn't seem like that's available to everyone just yet.
The FAA's new plans weren't supposed to really go into effect at the end of the year, but as CNBC says, it looks like some airlines are getting early approval. We imagine other airlines will follow soon, and CNBC said the changes to Delta and JetBlue are effective immediately.
