Everyone knows the drill by now, you board an airplane and you get a safety message asking you to ensure your seat is upright, trays up, luggage safely stowed and to switch off all electrical devices including mobile phones (or at least put them in flight mode).
Now, however, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has removed the last regulatory hurdle to allowing mobile devices to be used during flights.
Before you all panic and start to convulse at the thought of spending 10 hours next to someone yakking away on the phone to someone or the next wave of holiday spam – mid air selfies (shudder, that’s a horrible thought), just because it has been approved doesn’t mean it will happen.
Firstly, each airline can still have its own rules about mobile use and also has to run safety tests on their own equipment, two there isn’t any phone signal at 30,000 feet so unless the airline provides signal via satellite nothing is going to happen and three even if signal is allowed certain functions may be disabled, for example voice calls.
WiFi is already available on several flights in America and a London to New York flight from British Airways allows texts and WiFi but not voice calling – so the selfie is possible.
