Electronic carry ons get green light

But all that has changed. As we report in this issue's Cover Story, the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and its European equivalent have said these devices – with the exception of using mobile phones to make voice calls – can now be used from 'gate to gate', subject to some conditions. The restrictions were put in place because of concerns about devices interfering with critical aircraft systems. While there have been isolated reports of such incidents, portable devices haven't been identified as being responsible. US airline Delta said it only recorded 27 reports of such interference in 2.3million flights over a two year period. One reason for the change in heart by aviation administrators might just be pressure from the consumer electronics industry. Amazon, for one, is said to have pushed hard, claiming it has conducted test flights which were 'packed full of Kindles' in a move to disprove interference concerns. It's interesting, however, to see that Amazon's vice president of global public policy chaired an FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee technical subcommittee addressing the issue. But there might also have been pressure from airlines themselves. In an entry to this year's British Engineering Excellence Awards, Monarch outlined how it was removing the traditional seat back in flight entertainment system and replacing it with a Wi-Fi network, allowing passengers to watch movies and so on using their tablets and similar devices. Aviation is, for very good reasons, a very cautious industry and this move by the authorities is somewhat surprising. Nonetheless, some – including technical staff with plane makers who, you might think, know what they are talking about – still harbour doubts about the decision. You have to hope their doubts are unfounded.