Having to switch off your mobile phone before take off or landing may be stopped, after Australia’s civil aviation regulator released guidelines on gate to gate use of small personal electronic devices.
Qantas has been discussing with CASA about lifting the ban and Virgin Australia will also present a proposal.
The changes, which will take effect in a few months, mean that passengers on flights incoming to and going out from Australia will be able to use secured devices that way less than a kilogram for the entirety of their flights.
The effect of the change will be that passengers will be able to read e-books, play games and watch videos from boarding to disembarkation and connect to in-flight Wi-Fi services.
However, the change will not affect laptop users, who will still have to stow their laptops securely during take-off, landing and during turbulence.
Passengers will not be able to take advantage of the new rules until they are officially adopted near the end of the year.
