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I was on a flight on 18th April, and the announcement during start & landing was that all devices, including those with flight mode have to be completely switched off.

On 8th of May I was again on the same airline (Swiss), and the announcement was that devices have to be in flight mode or switched off if they do not have flight mode.

This essentially means that one can now continue to listen to music, etc. on a smartphone during takeoff and landing. Is this a new international regulation, or only something that Swiss changed?

Nick Stauner
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1 Answers1

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Yes, the regulations did change both in the US and in Europe.

There is an older question about using a Kindle on flights, where I recently added an answer explaining the change of rules of both the FAA and the EASA.

For your specific case with Swiss, the change by the EASA is responsible. Their press release states:

The EU's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has today updated its guidance on the use of portable electronic devices on board (PED), including smartphones, tablets and e-readers. It confirms that these devices may be kept switched on in "Flight Mode" (non-transmitting mode) throughout the journey (including taxiing, take-off and landing) without a risk to safety.

and then goes on

The updated safety guidance published today refers to portable electronic devices (PED) used in non-transmitting mode, better known as "flight mode". It allows, for the first time, the use of personal electronic devices in flight mode in all phases of the journey, from gate to gate.

Swiss adopted this and reflected it in their regulations starting May 1, 2014. See this news article for example. Other European airlines are also starting to permit this.

I am however not sure how the rules changed in other parts of the world.

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