Electronics on airplanes

[Powerslave]

Ok so how come every time I'm on a plane, it's not allowed to use any form of electronics (cell, handhelds, mp3players) and at the same time hear everyone on the internet asking for recommendations on what movies they should watch or what games they should play during their "long flight" ?

Are there different kinds of planes where its no problem to use these?

[Saint Cornelius]

It's only not allowed during takeoff and landing. Once you're at a certain height, it's all good.

You're just not supposed to use any type of Wi-Fi action.

What I don't understand is... what kind of interference could possibly be caused from an iPod or a CD player or whatever?

[Powerslave]

It's only not allowed during takeoff and landing. Once you're at a certain height, it's all good.

I wasn't allowed to use it period. I took out my cellphone to look at some pictures and this bitchy (hot) stewardess bitched about how I should turn it off.

[bluemax]

Its largely unnecessary to do so, but they do it as a precaution in case something out there on the off chance does conflict.

[Mr. Gundam]

It's only not allowed during takeoff and landing. Once you're at a certain height, it's all good.

I wasn't allowed to use it period. I took out my cellphone to look at some pictures and this bitchy (hot) stewardess bitched about how I should turn it off.

You're not allowed to use cell phones during flights, period. Laptops, iPods, and handheld gaming systems are fine. However, there was a Japanese airline that banned DS's due to their WiFi capabilities, though.

[Gay Boy]

I was on a plane this summer that said none during but I just ignored the rule.

[abrader]

its because if we have active electronics too high up in the atmosphere - signals from alien lifeforms could communicate with us humans thru our devices and the governments cover up job would be blown.

[xnikki118x]

When I flew Delta this past summer, you weren't allowed to use cell phones at all during the flight. Other electronics (I played Tetris on Ecrofirt's GameBoy Advance) had to be stowed away for takeoff and landing but could be used once the plane reached a certain altitude, and they announced when that was. I was able to use the GBA and my mp3 player for the majority of each flight.

[TVC15]

What I don't understand is... what kind of interference could possibly be caused from an iPod or a CD player or whatever?

I think that's just a "better safe than sorry" thing.  A lot of mp3 players have radio shit (or today, wifi) built in, so it's easier for airlines to put a blanket electronics ban during takeoff than to have flight attendants study every model of mp3 and cd player and be able to tell on sight which has radio and which doesn't.

[Powerslave]

I'm coming back to my initial reasoning and say that some of the cheaper and older planes don't allow anything, while the newer and more luxurious planes do.
They specifically mentioned every piece of electronics there is; laptops, cells, "gameboys" as they called it, portable players...in short everything.

[The Fake Shemp]

I've never had this problem - they just make you turn off cell phones for the entire flight, and stow electronics during take off and landing.  And I fly all the time, Southwest (ghetto!) included.

[Saint Cornelius]

If your phone has a "travel" mode, you can use it in a plane. Some planes. I don't know.

[The Fake Shemp]

Yeah, my last two phones have had airplane mode.