You can now use mobiles and tablets seamlessly, on flight mode

Using electronic devices in the Indian skies can be confusing. After the seat belt signs go off, you can use "approved" personal electronic devices - this usually means personal music players like iPods, and laptops. In theory, that could've included tablets too.

However, lately there's been a bit of confusion about the use of devices that have wireless capabilities - this includes smartphones.

Having said that, this position was a bit inconsistent as regards tablets - are they more akin to laptops or smartphones? For all that, they forgot that laptop computers came with wireless connectivity too!

In a word, CONFUSING! This also led to some inconsistent application of the rules:

• you could use your iPod but only after the seat belt signs went off
• depending on the traveler, and also the crew, you were or weren't allowed to use your smartphone to listen to music, in flight
• in general, the rules tended to be relaxed a bit more in the forward cabin than in economy
• sometimes, even cameras are included.

Finally, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that oversees all matters aviation in India, seems to have decided to put an end to the mess. The rule which bans the use of portable electronic devices (or PEDs) has been amended. You can now use such devices in all phases of the flight, as long as they are in non-transmitting mode (read, flight-mode). 

This means that you can use iPods, smartphones, tablets, etc even during take off and landing, and during taxiing, without having to wait till cruise mode when the seat belt sign goes off, or after exiting the active runway upon landing. Basically, from gate to gate. You don't need to turn them off at any stage, as long as they're in flight mode. Finally, good sense seems to have prevailed!

What this also means is that pilots can finally give up those heavy bags, and carry tablets instead, with all (or at least, most of) their data loaded on them.

There's another rule, which may take some more time in amending. This is the one that doesn't allow in-flight internet when in Indian airspace. That means that even airlines that offer such services have to turn them off while over Indian airspace. That includes aircraft overflying India, even if they aren't bound for an Indian destination.

The world is full of strange things.