Salon :: Tech & Business

Ask the pilot: Are cellphones and laptops really dangerous to flight?

Few rules are more confounding to airline passengers than those regarding the use of <a href="http://dir.salon.com/topics/cell_phones/">cellphones</a> and portable electronic devices. Are these gadgets really hazardous to flight? And if so, why are the rules enforced so arbitrarily? I addressed this topic three years ago at the end of a column that ran over Christmas weekend. I doubt many people saw it. Because it's a subject that regularly draws media attention -- most recently in a segment on ABC's "20/20" -- as well as a steady stream of questions to my in box, it's time for a review. <P>Before getting to cellphones, passengers should know that the restrictions pertaining to computers, <a href="http://dir.salon.com/topics/ipod/">iPods</a> and certain other devices have nothing to do with electronic interference at all. For instance, laptops. In theory, a poorly shielded notebook computer can emit harmful energy, but the main reason laptops need to be put away for takeoff and landing is to prevent them from becoming 200-mph projectiles in the event of an impact or sudden deceleration, and to help keep the passageways clear during an evacuation. Your computer is a piece of luggage, and luggage needs to be stowed so it doesn't kill somebody or get in the way. <p>...</p><img src="http://feeds.salon.com/~r/salon/tech/~4/210848554" height="1" width="1"/>

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