[citation][nom]Zagen30[/nom]"Just wondering; does that mean passengers can now also use their iPads during 'all phases of the flight' ?"No. From what I understand, the ban on electronics during takeoff/landing isn't so much about interference with traffic control signals (other than phones, which definitely could interfere), but that they don't want loose objects smacking people during those phases (and they are more likely to move around when the plane suddenly tilts up or down or banks in one direction).[/citation]
Ummmm... no. They let you read books, but they scoff at e-books (happened to me). AFAIK, books can as easily fly off one's hands as e-books, even more so, because they're bulkier. It's only about interference (and sheer ignorance about what a non-WIFI-non-radio-enabled e-book is about).
They're assuming the pilots know how to put their devices in airplane mode, and also that all the passengers are a bunch of ignorant people... hence the double standards.
And, BTW, the chances of radio interference from handheld devices like cell phones are next to zero, since they operate on different frequencies than FAA equipment; that's why pilots are sometimes actually using their phones in the cockpit (of course, away from public eyes). They already know the risk is not there anymore (not with modern equipment).
Another example: they won't let one use their GPS during flight (even a stand-alone GPS) for same bogus reasons, even though such a device is just a receiver of GPS signals, which are out there anyways and being used by the plane's GPS itself.