Seems airlines might suck a little less soon.
Nick Bilton, writing for the NYTimes, says the F.A.A. is going to review their policies on gadgets:

When I called the F.A.A. last week to pester them about this regulation — citing experts and research that says these devices could not harm a plane — the F.A.A. responded differently than it usually does. Laura J. Brown, deputy assistant administrator for public affairs for the F.A.A., said that the agency has decided to take a “fresh look” at the use of personal electronics on planes.

About fucking time.
And for the record, I rarely put my iPhone into Airplane Mode when flying. So far I haven’t caused any flight disruptions.
If gadgets were truly interfering with flight equipment, airplanes would be outfitted with preventative measures to ensure objectors like me didn’t cause problems. Otherwise, how could they confidently take off without knowing the status of every single passenger’s gadgets?
I imagine if cellphones and other gadgets were truly interfering with airline equipment they would have developed something comparable to how speaker docks for iPhones are magnetically shielded to prevent mobile radio wave interference from being heard through the speakers.