As the plane prepared for departure, I prepared my to hide my iPhone earbuds from sight, once again. Ever since I saw the Myth Busters episode that revealed the truth about the harmlessness of using electronic devices during the takeoff and landing of a flight, I have used electronic devices throughout the entirety of my flights. As the flight attendant was making her way, ever so slowly, toward the back of the cabin where I was seated, I quickly hid those infamous white wires beneath my hair. By now, I have become a pro at furtively concealing my devices from hawk-eyed stewardesses.

Seconds before takeoff, I heard the announcement; instead of asking the passengers to power-down their devices, the Captain encouraged passengers to use their devices, remarking that JetBlue was proud to be the first airline to allow the use of electronic devices from takeoff to landing. Sweet! No longer do I have to worry about hiding my headphones while I listen to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” during takeoff. Free at last.

JetBlue has taken the opportunity to bank on this new freedom, like any good airline should. The company made sure to send me an email announcing their new policy on Wednesday, followed promptly with an email advertising their latest deals on flights.

But what difference will this really make? Passengers still have to put away larger electronic devices, such as computers, during takeoff and landing. Cellular capabilities still have to be turned off during the flight. Instead of putting your device in the seat pocket in front of you for a few minutes, you can keep it out in the open… groundbreaking. JetBlue seems to be taking this small change in FAA regulations to the next level by turning the liberation of Personal Electronic Devices (PED’s) into a genius marketing move.

Every airline company tries to present their passenger experience as the best available. Our culture has come to hate the experience of air travel, despite the fact that we are flying through the sky at an unimaginable speed, something that was not possible 100 years ago. Every airline advertises the most legroom, the nicest (and most attractive) flight crew, the most free luggage allowances. With this new FAA regulation, doors will be opened to advertise an airline’s friendliness towards electronic devices. But this opportunity has already been exploited by JetBlue. JetBlue must have struck some shady back-alley deal to be able to be the first airline to adopt the new allowance in order to bank on it; JetBlue flight 2302 from JFK to Buffalo on November 1st was the first official US flight to allow the use of PED’s throughout the entire flight.

From what I can gather, JetBlue Captain Charles Cook was in charge of an FAA subcommittee regarding PED’s, which ultimately succeeded in swaying the views of the FAA. This was a smooth move on the part of the airline. Although Delta and American Airlines have recently boarded the bandwagon, JetBlue will forever remain the pioneer in the long march toward the liberation of PED use during all stages of a flight and will continue to push that idea on their customers.

JetBlue has open the flood gates for all airlines. We can now fly in comfort; we can read People magazine on our kindle, we can play Candy Crush on our iPhones, we can listen to Wrecking Ball on repeat on our iPods from gate to gate. Air travel has listened to consumers and made a concession to our tech-loving society, as well as proven once again that the strongest vote is made with the dollar.

Trending Articles: