JetBlue and Delta are the first airlines to allow passengers to use electronic devices at all points on a flight after the Federal Aviation Administration gave them permission. Both airlines received the FAA's approval just after the administration announced that it is safe for these devices to be used, USA Today reports.
Before the FAA announcement, passengers were required to turn off their electronic devices during takeoffs, landings, in taxi and when the flight is below 10,000 feet. The new policy allows airline passengers to use smart phones, tablets, games and other smaller electronic devices at any time during taxi, takeoff and during flight, unless otherwise instructed by a crewmember.
The announcements from JetBlue and Delta came just one day after FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced a change to the policy. JetBlue and Delta applied for certification right after the announcement.
JetBlue says it is the first airline to apply the new rules across its entire fleet of about 190 planes. Delta, the second biggest airline in the country, says the new rule applies to all 570 planes in its mainline fleet. The approval seems to have come at almost the exactly the same time, so its is not clear if either airline can claim to be first.
While Delta and JetBlue may be among the first to implement the new rules, they most certainly will not be the only ones. Most U.S. carriers are expected to change their policy by the end of the year. Each airline has to show proof that the devices won't interfere with the planes in their fleet. Once they can prove that, they can apply for certification from the FAA like Delta and JetBlue did.
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