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Indeed, “determining if a fleet can tolerate the use of PEDs during all phases of flight can be challenging and costly to do,” Ms. Marchand added, and “to date, no Canadian air operator has chosen to do so.”

Late last month, the FAA announced a long-awaited update to its policies on the use of PEDs on commercial aircraft, allowing for use during all stages of flight. Those findings were based on discussions held by an advisory committee, formed in January – made up of representatives from both the airline and technology industries – and include guidelines for updated policies, procedures, and training measures.

U.S. airlines must still conduct their own tests to ensure aircraft can tolerate any potential interface, and the results are subject to FAA approval. But as of mid-November, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, United Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways, and Virgin America have already been granted an allowance for gate-to-gate electronic device usage under the new FAA rules.

Ms. Ogle said WestJet is reviewing the FAA’s guidelines and intends to seek similar gate-to-gate exemption for the use of personal electronic devices “in the near future.”

Porter spokesperson Brad Cicero said the issue isn’t one of the airline’s top priorities, but “is something that Porter may want to implement in the future,” once Transport Canada provides further guidance and approval.

And Air Canada’s Peter Fitzpatrick says the airline intends to work with Transport Canada to develop revised regulations similar to those outlined by the FAA, “and determine how they may be implemented safely on board Air Canada flights, including such details as the types of devices that would be permitted and the timeline that would be required for Transport Canada to make changes to regulations.”