Last month, FAA announced that it will allow airlines to let passengers gate-to-gate use of Portable Electronic Devices. Today, December 31, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has approved the conditional use of laptops, mobile phones and other portable electronic devices during flights in the Philippines and will take effect 15 days after compliance with the single publication in a newspaper of general circulation.
Under memorandum circular 52-13, passengers are permitted of conditional use of transmitting portable electronic devices (TPED), music players, and global system for mobile communication on-board aircraft (GSMOBA) on all commercial aircrafts operating within or en-route over the territorial jurisdiction of the Philippines.
Cebu Pacific Air RP-C3267
The conditions of use are as follows:
When the aircraft doors are still open
Laptops, mobiles phones, Internet or short-message-service (SMS) or voice communications, may be used unless the Pilot-In-Command and/or Senior Cabin Crew would specifically announce on the public address system (PAS) its prohibition.
When the aircraft doors are closed
All devices must be on silent mode and used only for short-message-service (SMS) or for accessing the Internet. Calls are not allowed except the use of GSMOBA as long as its use does not interfere with the orderly conduct of flight.
When the aircraft is re-fuelling
All devices must be turned off.
At all times
The use of audio and video players will only be allowed with earphones and not with additional or separate speaker and/or amplifiers.