The FAA is Finally Letting Us Keep Phones and Tablets on During Takeoff and Landing

WE WON.

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Complex Original

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You'll finally be able to keep your Candy Crush game going throughout your next flight.

The FAA has officially approved letting passengers keep their phones and tablets on during takeoff, flight, and landing, ending long-standing regulations that prohibited passengers from having their electronics while the plane was below 10,000 feet. "Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions," the FAA said. "Electronic items, books and magazines, must be held or put in the seat back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing roll."

Don't get too excited just yet, though: before an airline can put the new regulations into effect, they have to prove that tablet and phone interference won't jeopardize their planes. Yet, airlines are expected to get going on the testing pretty quickly, and you should be able to use your electronics as recommended by the end of the year. Only about one percent of flights with low visibility will still ban the electronics during the original phases of the flight. Passengers still can't use the Internet when the plane is below 10,000 feet, and phone calls during the flight are still banned by the FCC. "In order to expand the use of PEDs safely, the commercial aviation industry must first demonstrate that airplanes can tolerate electromagnetic interference from passenger devices," the Association of Flight Attendants said in a statement.

Think of it as an early Christmas present: you'll finally be able to leave your phone on without feeling guilty.

[via USA Today]

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