The U.S. air safety authority will allow airlines to relax rules on mobile devices to permit the use of laptops and tablets gate-to-gate but not the making of phone calls. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has apparently concluded that most commercial airplanes — those made by the likes of Boeing (BA) and Airbus — can tolerate radio interference signal from personal electronic devices like smartphones and tablets. That determination came after consultation with manufacturers, passengers, flight crews and the mobile technology industry. Some critics say however that although there is a probability that the move is safe, it does not eliminate the chance that interference might at some point cause trouble for airline electronics. The eased restrictions are expected to roll out on most flights sometime next year, though Delta Air Lines (DAL) and JetBlue (JBLU) both said on Thursday they are attempting to become the first carrier to allow mobile device use even earlier. Delta said its approval could come as soon as November 1 for flights operating under 10,000 feet.
