Skift Take
Now that this is handled, how about we move on to finally modernizing air traffic control with the much-delayed Next Generation Air Transportation System?
Below are the 28 people on the Portable Electronic Devices Rulemaking Committee that flyers can thank when they start using their Kindles, iPhones, iPads, and other devices — all in airplane mode, of course — starting tomorrow on most Delta flights, with other airlines to follow as soon as they can. And, of course, also say a small prayer of thanks to Nick Bilton, the New York Times reporter who doggedly pursued the story and singlehandedly changed the course of this discussion.
These 28 people — airline executives, user experience consultants, representatives from electronics companies, airline crew, passenger advocates, and safety experts — deliberated for months, and came up with these new relaxed rules.
Each of them signed the 222-page document that will likely become a seminal document in the FAA’s history.
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