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US Airways Says 'Yes' To iPads, Phones, E-Readers Inflight

usairways.com

Go ahead and keep that tablet or e-reader on during your next US Airways flight.

Beginning today, the airline that operates more than 90 percent of flights out of Charlotte Douglas International will allow use of portable electronic devices from start to finish on flights.  Cell phone calls will not be allowed in flight, but customers will no longer be chided by flight attendants to turn off and stow small devices.  Anything weighing over two pounds will still need to go overhead or under the seat during takeoff and landing. 

"This has been a pretty important policy change for our customers – we've certainly heard from them. And I think as more and more people are moving to working on iPads for their entertainment or Kindles - things like that - they would love to be able to use these personal electronic devices during all phases of flight," says US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr. 

But, Mohr says there is one caveat to the new rules: they only apply to customers on the airline's domestic mainline flights.  US Airways Express flights are operated by partners that have not yet received FAA approval to implement the new electronic device rules. 

Mohr estimates about a third of US Airways customers every day take an express flight for all or part of their trip, and those passengers will still face restrictions on phone and tablet use.  Similar limitations apply for customers of Delta, JetBlue and American Airlines that have also relaxed their electronic device rules on mainline domestic flights.