An advisory panel met this week to confer over whether to lessen the restrictions on personal electronic devices during landing and takeoff, according to FOX News.
"You will be able to read or work on what's stored on the device," Henry Hartveldt, an airline and travel industry analyst with Hudson Crossing, said. "You want to edit that PowerPoint? Great. You want to watch 'Breaking Bad' and you have it downloaded to your smartphone or your tablet, you can continue to do that."
The advisory committee, which consisted of 28 members, had a closed-door meeting on Thursday, where they recommended that passengers have greater opportunity to use most of their devices below 10,000 feet. Some devices will still have to be switched to airplane mode. Downloading data and surfing the Internet would still be prohibited.
"You will not be able to play 'Words With Friends,' you will not be able to shop, you will not be able to surf websites or send email," Harteveldt said.
The officials have asked not to be named because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has urged committee members not to speak to the media or discuss their recommendations publicly.
Currently, passengers are required to turn off their phones and other personal electronic devices until the plane is above 10,000 feet. This rule was instituted to prevent interference with cockpit equipment.
"We've been fighting for our customers on this issue for years - testing an airplane packed full of Kindles, working with the FAA, and serving as the device manufacturer on this committee," Drew Herdener, a spokesman for Amazon, said in a statement. "This is a big win for customers and, frankly, it's about time."
Senator Claire McCaskill has been a prominent critic of the current rules.
"I will know it if I see that they're stalling," she said in an interview.
FAA officials don't have to follow the committee's recommendation, though if they do so, travelers could see changes as soon as 2014.
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