A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) panel has recommended that airline passengers be allowed to use certain electronic devices during takeoffs and landings, The Associated Press reports. The recommendation was made Thursday, according to industry insiders cited by The AP.

However, Bloomberg reports that the FAA panel’s new recommendation will not lift restrictions on cell-phone calls and text messages. According to Bloomberg, they are separately restricted due to worries that the signals may meddle with ground networks.

The FAA’s ban on the use of electronic devices during takeoffs and landings has long been criticized by passengers and on TV shows, including NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Back in December 2011, “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin was kicked off an American Airlines flights at LAX for playing “Words With Friends.”

“Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving,” Baldwin tweeted.

Baldwin was reportedly removed from the plane for failing to turn off his phone after flight attendants asked all passengers to turn off their electronic devices.

Shortly after the incident, Baldwin appeared on “SNL” as American Airlines captain Steve Rodgers to poke fun at himself, American Airlines and the FAA for its ban on electronic devices during takeoffs and landings.

“Would you really get on an airplane that flew 30,000 feet in the air if you thought one Kindle could take it down?” Baldwin jokingly asked “Weekend Update” host Seth Meyers.

According to Reuters, the FAA has long struggled with what to do about electronic devices on flight, releasing its first rule on the use of electronic device in 1966, after research revealed FM radios could meddle with navigation systems.

The AP notes that new planes are designed to stop electronic interference.

Besides passengers, e-reader companies are giddy about the new recommendation.

“We’ve been fighting for our customers on this issue for years — testing an airplane packed full of Kindles, working with the FAA, and serving as the device manufacturer on this committee,” Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said in a statement obtained by The AP. “This is a big win for customers and, frankly, it’s about time.”

What do you think of the FAA panel’s recommendation? Is it a good idea? Was there any reason for the FAA’s ban in the first place? Share your thoughts in the comments section.