Passengers flying with
Dubai-based airline
Emirates will be able to
use their mobile phones on
board from January.
The airline is claiming
victory in the race to be
first to offer the service;
other airlines had already
signalled their intention to
allow mobile use. To minimise
irritation to fellow
travellers, Emirates will ask
passengers to switch their
phones to silent or vibrate
mode throughout the flight.
Calls will cost about £2 a
minute – cheaper than
Emirates’ existing on-board
phones which cost £3 a minute.
Emirates Chairman and Chief
Executive Sheikh Ahmed bin
Saeed Al Maktoum said: ‘We are
delighted to offer the choice
of mobile phone use to
passengers who would like to
make contact with friends,
family or colleagues while
flying with us.'
Other airlines
The move follows a deal
between Emirates and telecoms
company AeroMobile.
AeroMobile President David
Poltorak said: ‘We are
delighted that Emirates has
taken the lead in introducing
our service across its fleet.
This is a historic step
forward for the aviation
industry. ‘We believe that the
ability to communicate
efficiently, easily and safely
when on board flights will
become an essential feature of
business and leisure travel.
We are currently talking to a
number of other airlines about
extending the service to their
fleets.’ Earlier this year
no-fills airline
Ryanair announced plans to
allow passengers to use their
mobile phones during flights.
Roaming
charges
Ryanair has completed a
deal with communications
company
OnAir to enable mobile use
on all its Boeing 737s.
Passengers should be able to
use a mobile and hand-held
devices such as
the Blackberry, starting from
the middle of next year.
They'll be able to call, text
and email using their mobile
phones at rates which will
mirror international roaming
charges.