New report confirms fliers should switch off before taking off

For many travelers, the standard warnings that electronic equipment should be switched off in-flight are nothing more than a procedure, often surreptitiously - and sometimes blatantly - ignored.

However, that may now be about to Change, after a report surfaced in the US this week which suggested that passengers would do well to heed the warnings which have been given for so long.

The study, conducted confidentially but obtained by US news channel ABC News, found a total of 75 incidents of electronic interference which flight crews believed were linked to mobile phones or other electronic devices between 2003 and 2009.

Some 26 of these incidents were related to flight controls such as autopilot and landing gears, 17 were related to navigation equipment and 15 affected communications systems.

Source: Independent.co.uk