Various US airlines now let you play games during takeoff

Virgin America has become the latest airline to allow passengers to play games during take-off, the company has announced. Other airlines that have recently granted this include: Delta, JetBlue, American Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. (Thanks, Polygon.)

For the longest time using electronics during takeoff was considered a no-no in the world of commercial aviation as it was rumoured that personal electronics could conflict with the plane's equipment and passengers would find themselves stranded on a desert island talking to volleyballs and running from polar bears.

This nonsense came to an end last month when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) realised this was bunk and determined that people could play Pokemon without it endangering the lives of all those around them. Of course, bureaucracy has a drudgerous way of working, and airlines were tasked with proving to the FAA that their particular fleet is immune to the witchcraft of the mobile phone.

Additionally, they'd all have to revise their safety materials to adapt to this change. "Each airline will also need to revise manuals, checklists for crewmember training materials, carry-on baggage programs and passenger briefings before expanding use of PEDs [portable electronic devices]," the FAA stated last month. "Each airline will determine how and when they will allow passengers broader use of PEDs."

The FAA expects this practice to be even more widespread by the end of the year.