Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relaxes rules to allow use of Smartphones, Electronic Devices on Planes

The Federal Aviation Administration moved Thursday to considerably relax restrictions covering the use of electronic devices on airplanes, a shift that should allow passengers to tap away on smartphones and tablets during all phases of flight as soon as today.

Passengers still will not be permitted to transmit data below 10,000 feet, so devices such as iPhones and iPads will need to be placed on “airplane mode” at lower altitudes. Making phone calls remains banned at all times.

Carriers cannot make the policy change unilaterally, however, as they must prove to federal officials that the new electronic device policies will not impact flight operations. The FAA originally was expected to move relatively quickly on the airline applications, and JetBlue signaled it hoped to make the change as soon as Thursday afternoon. But the FAA was not prepared to approve proposals so fast.

A passenger checks her cellphone before a flight, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, in Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration issued new guidelines Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, under which passengers will be able to use devices to read, work, play games, watch movies and listen to music, from the time they board to the time they leave the plane.

“JetBlue is in the final stages of gaining FAA’s approval on our implementation plan that will allow personal electronic devices through all stages of flight,” JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said in an email. “We will implement the policy as soon as the FAA gives us their approval.”

All airlines are expected to alter policies soon, but some will move faster than others. Officials at Delta Air Lines also said a policy change could come also come as quickly as Friday. Officials with Southwest, American, US Airways and United said they also were seeking FAA approval, though their applications could take slightly longer than JetBlue and Delta, which both made quick policy changes a priority.

Delta officials said all of their airplanes had completed “tolerance testing” to ensure they could safely operate under the new guidelines.

“We are still waiting for FAA approval,’ Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec said Thursday afternoon. “We will be ready to move when we get that approval. We are expecting that sometime (today).”

The prohibition on electronic devices is about 50 years old, and it was originally implemented because officials worried electronics might interfere with cockpit systems. At the time, the issue was with small FM radios. But the restriction has been increasingly viewed as anachronistic in recent years, especially as more passengers — violating airline rules — kept their devices on.

In September, a 28-member committee endorsed by the FAA recommended a rule change. On the committee were airline executives, electronics manufacturers, pilots and flight attendants.

In a briefing Thursday in Washington, D.C., FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said pilots may ban electronic devices in rare instances ­ ­— about 1 percent of all flights ­— when there is extremely low visibility. In those cases, Huerta said, devices could interfere with landing systems.

While passengers can’t access networks aloft, they now will be permitted to use their phones to connect to the Web if an airplane is equipped with an Internet system.

For safety reasons, passengers still will need to stow larger devices, like laptops, during some phases of flight. The fear is they could be dangerous if they fly around the cabin. They might also impede an emergency exit.

At Los Angeles International Airport, JetBlue ground employees were preparing Thursday for the policy change. As soon as JetBlue receives approval from the FAA, Dervin said, ground staff will begin delivering in-person briefings to pilots and crew members, and handing out one-page reference sheets on the new policy. Dervin said the first LAX flight under the new system could be a 7 a.m. departure to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

How much the rule change will affect passengers probably depends on whether they actually followed the guidelines in the first place. Travelers like Brett Douglas, 30, of Los Angeles have long flouted the rules. Waiting outside Terminal 3 at LAX on Thursday, he said he often listens to music below 10,000 feet.