Airlines no longer banning laptop use during takeoff/landing?

[dukee101]

Every flight I've been on for the last year or so (and I've been on 15 flights during this period, all on Delta), flight attendants have never asked me to put away my laptop during takeoff and landing. I've computed, unrestrained, during these flight portions, all the time. Has anyone else experienced this sudden laxness?

My theory is that because airlines are requiring masks, they want to reduce their asks of people everywhere else they can. Or I may've just been lucky this whole time, who knows!

 

[0128672]

I was on a domestic Delta flight recently and we were asked to stow laptops during take off and landing.

 

[velocityg4]

Are you wearing headphones and just not hearing it over the PA system? I'm just curious if it's a matter of them not personally asking you or if there is no announcement to turn off and stow electronic devices.

 

[dukee101]

Are you wearing headphones and just not hearing it over the PA system? I'm just curious if it's a matter of them not personally asking you or if there is no announcement to turn off and stow electronic devices.

They are 100% still making the announcement over the PA system. But then when flight attendants go up and down the aisles making sure everyone is following the rules, they've never scolded me for having my laptop out after the announcement's been made. In pre-covid times, I would always, without fail, be asked to put my laptop away.

 

[09872738]

For your own benefit: you should stow it anyway. There is a reason for this rule.

Take that advice from a pilot

 

[max2]

For your own benefit: you should stow it anyway. There is a reason for this rule.

Take that advice from a pilot

Yep.

 

[bunnspecial]

Flew Saturday and Southwest definitely did both announce and enforce.

I'm sitting in the terminal for a return flight as I type this and won't be using my laptop at all during the flight. Still, though, I'm expecting the same.

 

[jbarley]

They are 100% still making the announcement over the PA system. But then when flight attendants go up and down the aisles making sure everyone is following the rules, they've never scolded me for having my laptop out after the announcement's been made. In pre-covid times, I would always, without fail, be asked to put my laptop away.

So you do hear the announcement, but then just chose to ignore it.

 

[SteveManila1960]

Three flights with Etihad last Friday and definitely had to pack the laptop away on each flight.

 

[dukee101]

For your own benefit: you should stow it anyway. There is a reason for this rule.

Take that advice from a pilot

Yes, I hear you, and I understand that the reason mainly is that during takeoff and landing, if any unexpected turbulence is encountered, anything not stowed away can turn into a dangerous projectile.

That said, I have to admit that the rules around this are a bit hazy. For example, they ask for "large electronic devices" to be put away, and specifically on Delta, even in Sky Magazine (pre-covid), it stated that tablets are “always permitted” during takeoff and landing.

So my question then is: my iPad Pro is 11", my MBP is 13", so what's the cutoff here exactly? The iPad could easily also become a projectile. Smartphones can be projectiles too, yet you're allowed to have those out. It's confusing and makes me not fully appreciate why the rule is in place, which makes it more reasonable for someone to doubt them.

 

[09872738]

I agree, those rules are kinda confusing at times. But there is nothing stopping you from putting away things irrespective of what the rules say.

I‘ve seen people get hurt badly, even by things you wouldn‘t consider even remotely dangerous.

So myself, I stow away pretty much anything at all times when travelling, even (and even more so) when being a passenger. Plus I NEVER unfasten seat belts (unless there is a reason, like using the bathroom).

 

[SteveManila1960]

I totally agree although I did have a very unusual pandemic circumstance on the flight from Abu Dhabi to Dublin a week ago. In the back half of the plane, aft of the centre toilets I was the only passenger. Given the air flight attendants were all seated for take off and no one was within 10 metres of me I guess I could have flaunted the rules just once

 

[dukee101]

Plus I NEVER unfasten seat belts (unless there is a reason, like using the bathroom).

This I can 100% agree with, especially based on all the flight safety data of the last 20 years, which indicates that the vast majority of injuries and fatalities actually come from very rare instances of severe turbulence to people who are not strapped in. It's not actually what makes the news: the very rare, massive hull-loss crashes.

 

[09872738]

This I can 100% agree with, especially based on all the flight safety data of the last 20 years, which indicates that the vast majority of injuries and fatalities actually come from very rare instances of severe turbulence to people who are not strapped in. It's not actually what makes the news: the very rare, massive hull-loss crashes.

Indeed. Check the statistics tegarding flight attendant injuries/deaths. Thise hardly make it into the media.
I‘ve encountered several incidents, mostly clear air turbulence at level. I encountered one incident of wakr turbulence, again at level. Feels like a sledgehammer hits you out of nowhere. We later realized an Airbus 380 passed 2000 feet above us. Only thing that seems plausible is wake turbulence stemming from that thing (its notorious for that kinda thing). Luckily everybody on board was belted, so nobody was hurt. Boy, thinking of it - that was gruesome. I‘m pretty sure without seatbelts we would have suffered casualties.

 

[Tech198]

Every flight I've been on for the last year or so (and I've been on 15 flights during this period, all on Delta), flight attendants have never asked me to put away my laptop during takeoff and landing. I've computed, unrestrained, during these flight portions, all the time. Has anyone else experienced this sudden laxness?

My theory is that because airlines are requiring masks, they want to reduce their asks of people everywhere else they can. Or I may've just been lucky this whole time, who knows!

Nope.. I choose to believe it's got nothing to do with masks.. Even pre-covid, they never asked everyone... Perhaps less people were asked. but just standard safety.

 

[bunnspecial]

FWIW, the cut-off I heard on a flight last week was "Anything over 2lbs." From what I can find, that covers all laptops, as even the 2015 Macbook was a bit over 2lbs. The few links I checked with a search for "Lightest Laptop" put even PCs of exotic materials at over 2lbs.

At the same time, without looking it up, I doubt there's a table that weighs over 2lbs.

So, if that's the case, using the Southwest 2lb rule, it seems like the easy cut-off of laptops-no, tablets yes.