Petitioners Collect Signatures For The Right To Use Electronic Devices During Takeoff And Landing

Do you need to play Angry Birds during takeoff? Is the next page in Game of Thrones just begging you to read it right this very moment? If so, there's a new petition on petition on the White House's website demanding that customers be allowed to use their electronic devices, if they're on airplane mode, during takeoff and landing. After various new reports claim that there's maybe really no harm in having devices like smartphones, tablets and iPods on when usually, flight attendants tell you to shut'em all down, a group of citizens has posted a petition asking President Obama to give them the right to keep those products on.

It reads:
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
allow airline passengers to use electronic devices in "airplane mode" during takeoff and landing
Portable electronic devices like the Amazon Kindle, the iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices all have "airplane mode" built in to the devices software that minimizes the electronic signals these devices emit.

To date, there is no evidence that electromagnetic interference, in any way, affects aviation equipment. Studies to date conclude that there's little risk to allowing electronic devices to be used during takeoff and landing. Despite passengers "bending the rules" or forgetting to turn off devices on planes for years, there's been no known incident of an air accident caused by electromagnetic interference from devices. Allow devices that have "Airplane Mode" to be used during taxi, takeoff, and landing through revising FAA regulation. So far, there are 660 signatures out of 25,000 needed by January 3, 2012. As long as that annoying girl two rows up and one seat over can't get back on the phone with her mom and whine about not making it to the Uggs store, I can be okay with airplane mode. allow airline passengers to use electronic devices in "airplane mode" during takeoff and landing [WhiteHouse.gov] Read More ...