Phone calls remain banned in flight

By year-end, most airline passengers will be able to use their tablets, e-readers and other gadgets during all stages of flight, the culmination of a decadeslong process that brings the flying experience further into the digital age.The Federal Aviation Administration's decision,alligator shear its first big shift on electronic devices since it restricted their use in flight in 1966, caps years of debate over whether electronic emissions from devices can interfere with cockpit instruments.Previous rules required passengers to turn off all electronic devices on aircraft below 10,000 feet—one of the most disliked rules in commercial flying. Under the new rules, fliers will be able to use hand-held devices such as smartphones, tablets and e-readers from gate to gate. Larger items like laptops will have to be stowed during takeoffs and landings.

Phone calls remain banned in flight and devices must remain in airplane mode, shutting off their cellular connection. In-flight cellular connections are prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission because of concerns that they interfere with cell towers on the ground. The FAA said airlines can offer Wi-Fi at all altitudes, though many airlines' connections don't function below 10,000 feet.The FAA's new policy embraces recent recommendations from a high-level advisory group that was convened in January alligator shear in response to increasing pressure from airlines, lawmakers, device makers like Amazon.com Inc and especially fliers, who complained that the previous rules were an increasingly anachronistic hindrance.

"It's basically putting sanity back into aviation," said Jim Glackin, a Chicago telecommunications executive who has flown more than 100 times this year. "This is going to add a significant amount of time to my productivity."Airlines have been racing for weeks to be first, gathering paperwork and setting up working groups to study the issue.JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU -1.66% and Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL -0.38% were ahead of the pack on Thursday, applying for approval skin analyzer within hours of the new guidelines. The two carriers said they hoped to begin allowing fliers to use devices from gate to gate by Friday.AMR Corp.'s AAMRQ +0.68% American Airlines said it planned to apply for approval on Friday while other carriers said they would move quickly. One airline, however, said it believed the approval process could take up to 30 days.

This is my favorite article:Brush fire may have burned up to 4 acres