For flight passengers, this announcement can be a cringe-worthy reminder, whether they are using an Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle e-reader or BlackBerry smartphone.

But is the announcement really all necessary to begin with?

Some say the argument that using a mobile phone, tablet or other electronic device can interfere with aircraft controls is an unproven idea.

As Nick Bilton of The New York Times has reported, an annual report issued by Nasa last year found no cases involving the use of electronic gadgets on planes “have produced scientific evidence that a device can harm a plane’s operation”.

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