I have ALWAYS asked, and have ALWAYS been told NO!
I recently took a round-trip on Delta, and as I couldn't find anything in
the magazine specifically allowing or prohibiting GPSr usage in-flight, I
asked the flight attendant if she could check with the "front office". She
returned a few minutes later and told me the captain had said that as long
as it didn't require an external antenna it would be okay. So my four hours
to Atlanta seemed much shorter.
It was kind of funny in a way, as I did have an external antenna on board
with me (we are so spoiled by reception quality here). I'd often thought
that if I were going to sneak, it would be far less conspicuous to just hold
the antenna up to the window and keep the GPSr hidden in my lap, or behind a
book. But since I had the green light, I just used the built-in antenna (and
got a sore arm from holding it up to the window).
On the return flight I was in an aisle seat, so I didn't even bother to ask.
Let's face it, it's always easier (and probably less hazardous to the
airline employees' careers) to simply say no. I was lucky. I would still ask
whenever presented with the opportunity. Perhaps as the airlines get more
requests, they'll consider the issues a little more thoroughly instead of
issuing blanket prohibitions.
Steve
Team Tierra Buena
(text/plain)