It sounds like a headline you might find on a tabloid. Have airlines actually set out to kill the
printed word? Well, no, but they would
probably be charged with aiding and abetting.
And you know what? I’d be the first to applaud their actions and pay
their bail. Confused? Me too.
The FAA finally repealed an antiquated rule that prevented the use of any electronics onboard an aircraft (mind you, tape-players and electric razors were already OK!).
It was the interpretation and execution of this ruling that was the basis
for passengers not being able to use a Kindle during take-off and landing. (The Kindle has the equivalent EM output of a
calculator.) For years, there has been a
collective grumbling and disbelief in the line that the airlines and FAA has
been touting. Finally, in reaction to
independent studies, popular outcry, and one fed-up senator, this errant
position has been reversed.
The result is that you can now use your personal electronic devices from
departure gate to arrival gate (exceptions still apply with regard to cellular
and laptop usage). Yes, it does mean
that fewer people will be paying strict attention to the safety announcements. But, if we’re being frank, few people do
unless the presentation is particularly inspired (kudos to you, Delta and
Virgin America). Yet I think that this
ruling is a win for airlines and passengers alike.
I would often find myself bringing aboard books or magazines for the sole
purpose of passing those 30 minutes at the start and end of each flight. I no longer need to do that. I love my (insert media aggregation device
here). With it I read books, magazines,
comic books (I’m still an 8-year-old at heart).
I watch TV, movies, videos. I listen to music, podcasts,
audiobooks. It’s so much less to carry
for me and less weight to fly for the airlines.
With fewer homes getting magazines and newspapers, there is a lot of stress
on the printed media industry. Surely
the last bastion of hold-outs has been the waiting rooms, newsstands, and
airport shops across the nation. With
this change to the way we fly, the demand for printed material at the terminal
is likely to trend down.
This is not necessarily a tragedy.
It’s more eco-friendly and it doesn’t necessarily put a gun against
publishers' heads. It just means that
the medium has changed. It may even make
for a better reading and creative process.
The length of articles no longer is a constraint. Also, color is no longer an added cost to be
carefully weighed in the publishing process.
In this economic environment where every flight seems to be flown at full
capacity, reading a newspaper or magazine can be a real pain. I also feel for those passengers who attempt
to use a full-size laptop. All of these
activities involve a lot of elbow swordplay and disgruntled harrumphing. It’s not anyone’s fault, really; there is
just no space. But now, all of these
previous space-buster activities are reduced down to the viewing real estate of
a single sheet of paper, or smaller.
To be clear, I am not inherently a foe of the printed page. I love the feel
of a good book, paperback and hardback alike.
I have hundreds (well, leaning close to thousands) . . . but I would be
hard-pressed to recall the last time I purchased one. I’m part of the problem now, I know. But the practicality of the size, weight, and
capacity of e-readers is too convenient.
At this point, I'm ready to totally convert. And I am not alone.
The airline's economic woes and sub-standard treatment of passengers'
conveniences, then, may be killing the pulp industry and providing growth to
the electronic industry. But this act is
one in which the publisher, author, reader, and planet all win.
Now, if I can only figure out how to write in the margins with my stylus.
