The FAA gave us the best treat in Halloween history: the ability to use our mobile devices during takeoff, landing, and below 10,000 feet. The federal agency began approving airlines and their fleets of planes on November 1, and since then, a handful of airlines have been cleared to allow travelers to continue their Candy Crush addiction uninterrupted. But the reality behind the approvals is more murky than you’d expect.
Just because you book a ticket through Delta Airlines — one of the first carriers approved — doesn’t mean you’ll be able to continue reading the latest issue of WIRED on your tablet.
According to Delta, personal electronic devices (or PEDs) can be used on more than 570 “mainline domestic aircraft” during taxi, takeoff, and landing. Those planes have been cleared through the FAA’s technical evaluations of their fleets and internal operation policies.
However, Delta Connections — the 550 regional aircraft that the airline employs to shuttle passengers on non Delta-branded planes — aren’t included yet, with the airline claiming that those carriers should be approved by the end of the year. And it doesn’t just affect Delta, but all the major regional airlines in the country that outsource domestic flights.
So with that in mind, here are the airlines that have been approved for PED use, including the exceptions. And we’ll continue to update this list as more carriers are added.
Airline
Allow Devices
Exceptions
Delta
✓
550 regional aircrafts pending approval
United
✓
United Express flights or other non-United carriers
Southwest
✓
American
✓
American Eagle flights operated by SkyWest, ExpressJet, Republic Airline and Chautauqua Airlines are pending approval
U.S. Airways
✓
U.S. Airways Express flights do not yet meet the FAA approval
Air Canada
✕
JetBlue
✓
Alaska
✓
Flights operated by Horizon Air and SkyWest coming next week
WestJet
✕
Spirit
✕
Frontier
✕
Hawaiian
✕
Allegiant
✕
Virgin
✓
