jaysona

This is currently possible on the 787 in J - at least with ear-buds.

lcohen999

Excellent news and about time.

p.s. love the conversation in the cbc.ca comments section

Shareholder

Rather oversimplification. FCC regs are generally the ones followed by most countries vis a vis aircraft safety compliance. And while we have known for years that such devices have little or no effect on modern navigation and other aircraft systems, the regulations of the US and most other countries require tests to prove this is the case on each type of aircraft involved, which would also include generational variations of the same aircraft type. The FCC recognized that it would take each airline many months to do such evaluations themselves and accepted the singular testing by aircraft type manufacturers to fast track the rule change and thus take applications by airlines to permit the use of these devices.

BTW there are still a number of major US regional carriers that have not received FCC permission six months after the go-ahead. Whether this is due to the FCC's delaying the process or the airlines not bothering to apply is open to debate.

PLeblond

My comment was (mostly) in jest, although it is very rare that TC precedes the FAA/FCC, and there are a million reasons why.

YEGTigger

Thank you for pointing me in the direction of a good laugh. Although reading some of the comments, I fear for our future.

jaysona

I and many of my colleagues had many good laughs about this today, it was even presented during one of the staff meetings - partially for discussion - but mostly for entertainment.

It also highlights the general (lack of) knowledge of the traveling public and how we on FT are the (in all likelihood) less than 1% of the traveling public.

Jagboi

The lack of basic science knowledge is breathtaking. I guess I should never underestimate the ignorance of the masses.

tcook052

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1361...d-its-aircraft

MONTREAL, May 26, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada welcomes the announcement today by the Federal Government of Canada permitting the expanded use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) by travelers aboard aircraft during all phases of flight. Air Canada, Air Canada rouge and its Air Canada Express regional partners are finalizing measures to safely implement the new procedures so customers can enjoy greater use of their PEDs in non-transmitting mode while on the airlines' flights.

"Air Canada welcomes today's announcement expanding the use of PEDs on aircraft because it will enhance the travel experience. Our customers have been telling us they want the option to use their PEDs at all times on board our aircraft both for working and entertainment. Moreover, this change will bring our policies in line with those of other jurisdictions for use of PEDs on aircraft, eliminating uncertainty for customers. We appreciate Transport Canada's support of our efforts to implement these new rules safely and quickly," said Craig Landry, Vice President of Marketing at Air Canada. "This policy will complement our recent announcement that this month we have begun rolling out in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity across our North American fleet, the first Canadian carrier to do so. We anticipate 29 aircraft will be offering in-flight connectivity by yearend, with 130 narrow-body aircraft to be equipped to provide connectivity by the end of 2015."

PEDs include such devices as cellular telephones, electronic document readers, tablet computers and MP3 players. The changes do not permit the use of transmitting functions once the aircraft is in motion prior to take-off, meaning customers aboard aircraft will not be able to make cellular phone calls or otherwise send and receive wireless signals from outside the aircraft. Current safety restrictions on customers using headphones or earbuds not connected to the aircraft's In-Flight Entertainment system will also remain in effect.

yvrhab

Great step taken today. The cbc comment section is hilarious and frightening at the same time.

YEGTigger

My favorites were the people thought that opened the door for evildoers to commit cyberterrorism and maybe take over the plane (in those extra 5 minutes the devices will be on).

More on topic, I wonder how long it will take each airline to complete their application and get this done. I can see FA's having trouble with people reading this article and assuming they can use their devices right now during takeoff and landing.

Triley

Having a good laugh about the comments as well. I can't help but jump in and point out the flaws in people's "logic". Sending screenshots to the boyfriend to look at in the morning. I'm sure he'll have a good laugh too!

KenHamer

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.666 Mobile Safari/534.8+)

Blackberry?!?!

Do people still use those?

chx1975

That doesn't sound good.

Northern Canuck

@ Canadiancow regarding noise cancelling headphones...What about the noise cancelling ear buds, wouldn't they have the same effect? How do the attendants know if you are plugged into the IFE or an iPod/phone/tablet?

Cana2013

I have to because that is the only phone my company give me.