The outlook appears uncertain when or if the FAA will...

for a change in U.S. policy last year in filings at the FAA. The FAA sought comment in docket 2012-0752, reacting to the desire of many travelers to use their iPads, computers and Kindle Fires below 10,000 feet. Flyers are “frustrated,” said Paul Misener, Amazon vice president-global public policy. Amazon polled its customers, he said: “We get lots of comments saying things like, ’this is stupid, dumb, idiotic.’ But they're also experienced flyers and they've been observing … that other customers are keeping their PEDs on at all phases of the flight and this happens frequently. … They're rightfully wondering why planes aren’t coming down if this is a problem.” Flyers also recognize that flight crew make use of PEDs throughout the flight without incident, he said. Misener said he’s participating in the aviation rulemaking committee that will look at whether rules for PEDs should be relaxed. The complicated testing process is why there has been little movement so far by aviation authorities on PEDs, he said. “The rules have devolved to the point to where each airline is required to test each device with each plane and therefore no testing gets done, no certification gets done,” he said. Meanwhile, “the gigantic experiment, which is people leaving their devices on anyway, goes on.” Misener, a former FCC and NTIA official, said the FCC could help by testing PEDs against the emission masks of sensitive electronic systems used by aircraft in flight. Derek Spicer, senior training captain at Airbus, warned that the FAA faces a tough task trying to sort through whether PEDs pose a risk during takeoff and landing. Spicer said he has never experienced “electromagnetic” interference as a result of PEDs on a flight, but other pilots have reported problems. Spicer said the FAA rulemaking is unusual in that it was prompted by customer demand, rather than safety concerns. “Certification is a very slow, labored process,” he said. “As operators of airliners, as manufacturers of airliners, we're not driven by the customers, we're driven by the safety standard.” Spicer also said some models of commercial aircraft appear more likely to face problems if the rules for PED use are relaxed.