Virgin Atlantic To Allow Cellphone Calls During Flights

NEW YORK — The phrase "Can you hear me now" has entered the jet age.

Passengers on certain Virgin Atlantic flights are now able to use their cell phones to make and receive phone calls at 35,000 feet, the airline announced Tuesday.

The British airline's new service could be a blessing for business travelers who want to stay connected during eight-hour flights across the ocean. It could also be a nightmare for the passenger sitting next to them.

"I suspect most passengers, like myself, would prefer not to listen to somebody on the phone for what might be hours," said airline analyst Robert Mann.

Only six passengers at a time will be able to use the system, which the airline says is intended "for use in exceptional situations." Passengers will be able to send text messages, make a call or access email on mobile devices. The airline won't charge extra for the service but cell phone users will be charged their carrier's international roaming rates.

Initially, the service – which utilizes a satellite connection – will only be available for customers of European cell phone providers O2 and Vodafone and U.S. carrier T-Mobile.

The service debuted Tuesday on the airline's new Airbus A330-300 planes flying between New York and London. It will expand to nearly 20 planes by year-end, from a handful now.

Dubai-based Emirates became the first carrier to allow passengers to use their personal cell phones back in 2008. A handful of other airlines in the Middle East including Oman Air and Royal Jordanian now have similar services.

Passengers today already wrestle for control of the armrest and the few precious inches of personal space they have. It isn't clear how the flying public will react to phone calls mid-flight.

George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchdog, says Virgin will have to restrict times of day when passengers can make calls in order to not wake up fellow passengers on overnight flights.

"But you know what will happen, no one will listen. There will be screaming matches, glares, and probably fisticuffs," he said in a statement. "I for one would gladly choose an airline that bans inflight yakking over one that allows it."

The New York-London route is very lucrative and competitive.

British Airways and American Airlines have teamed up to offer up to 16 daily flights between the two cities. Virgin only offers five a day, with plans to soon expand to six.

Asked how his airline can compete, CEO Steve Ridgway told The Associated Press last week: "By offering better service."

This new phone service is part of a larger $160 million dollar upgrade of the airline's Upper Class cabin, although it will be also available to passengers in coach. Calls are not permitted during take-off or landing or within 250 miles of U.S. airspace.

____

Scott Mayerowitz can be reached at . http://twitter.com/GlobeTrotScott

From our partners

Comments

[dbrett480]

06:01 PM on 05/21/2012

How annoying.

[DevRock]

10:43 AM on 05/17/2012

Dear VA: I will not spend a dime on your airline. This is one of the worst ideas ever. Anyone who has commuted on a train to work knows how rude and obnoxious people are on cell phones in crowded spaces. What a horrible idea.

[tendril]

09:32 AM on 05/17/2012

I do a lot of business traveling. First, it's great to be unreachable for a few hours. Second, come to New York and take a ride on the LIRR. People are screaming into their cellphones (Yellular telephony). At least you can get up and switch cars. I would rather ride on the outside of a plane than to hear some twenty something with vocal fry gargle into their phone.

[Jaynelbob]

02:25 AM on 05/17/2012

The first airline that introduces a "quiet zone" like those on trains in the UK and Europe will have my devotion for life. Think about it, in one fell swoop you've excluded: crying babies & toddlers, anyone using a cell phone, the obnoxious person who wants to tell you their life story for 6 hours and people with electronic gadgets who play games with the volume ON and no earphones!

People with older children will have to sign a waiver that their child will speak in their indoor voice, you will not be allowed to use a phone/ noisy electronic device, or chat endlessly.

Bliss.

[Warren Johnson]

11:42 PM on 05/16/2012

This is a complete non-issue. Before cell phones, there was satellite phones on the plane and people lived through it. The bottom line is the calls are going to be international roaming rates via satellite repeaters and so will cost something like $2 - $3 per minute. No one is going to yack for 20 minutes at that rate. Satellite internet service at international mobile roaming rates (for example, $25 for 100MB of data on Verizon) would be much more useful. You could download your e-mail, log off and then compose and send responses.

[Jaynelbob]

01:30 AM on 05/17/2012

Generally the satellite phones were only located in business/first class. And sorry, but I know far, far too many people who will indeed chat for that amount of time and longer egardless of the cost. Especially if it's business related, it's not like they're paying for the bill I expect.

[jfuh]

08:29 PM on 05/16/2012

I don't care what business you are in, no one "needs" to make a call for business while on a flight.
If the person is really that pushed for time then that means they personally are incapable of handling their affairs. That's no reason for me to have to suffer listening through their whole conversation. Frankly having internet access - which means you can run skype - already means I can call someone - personally I've done that before just for kicks at 30'000ft.

Finally, there's no point whatsoever for a ban on cellphones or electronic devices to begin with. A plane can be struck by lightening (which is millions of times stronger than any electronic device you could possibly have) without even a twitch because all aircraft and all aircraft electronics are all shielded from electronic interference.

[ThinkCreeps]

05:00 AM on 05/17/2012

Lightning is different. It is outside, while radio emitters are inside.
Lightning can also cause profound damage.

Listen to the nice people with the gold braid and turn it off, you little scrote.

[jfuh]

07:11 PM on 05/17/2012

Sorry, but it just isn't like that at all

[Air Vice Marshal Park]

03:36 PM on 05/17/2012

You reasons why lightning doesn't usually harm airplanes is one of the reasons why cell use can be dangerous. An airplane fuselage is a bit like a Faraday Cage (Google). When lightning strikes the airplane, that property insures that the charge travels along the skin and is dissipated off the tail or the wingtips.without causing much damage. It has nothing to do with "shielding" the electronics. About the only way that lightning can harm is if it directly hits a fuel tank vent and ignites the fuel.

The properties of a semi Faraday cage insures something else. It insures that some part of a cell signal remains in the airplane and bounces around. This is why cells work best if held close to windows. Every time the signal bounces, it shifts frequencies and some of those frequencies can be received by the aircraft electronics. This is why pilots can hear cells dialing on com frequencies.

[jfuh]

07:13 PM on 05/17/2012

A faraday cage is shielding

[Kokuanani]

06:26 PM on 05/16/2012

NO!!!!!!!

[Janenotdoe]

05:21 PM on 05/16/2012

NO! NO! and NO!!!!!! CHRONIC cell phone users are some of the most self-involved & rude people around. Now they will be allowed to make another form of travel even more annoying?!! PUHLEEZE!! Being exposed when driving is frustrating (& scary) enough --- not to mention the drone we must overhear in restaurants, shopping, & multiple other public places. Being almost forced to hear total strangers YAK on & on everywhere one goes (they aren't usually soft spoken or shy) has become far greater than some wee annoyance --- and now THIS!! Unbelievable. I PROTEST.

[tendril]

09:33 AM on 05/17/2012

Righteous indignation, well stated!

[Janenotdoe]

10:18 AM on 05/17/2012

THANKS, tendril - my frustration is strong (obviously!! lol) so just HAD to vent.
Bless you for acknowledging :)

F & F'd

[Luc65]

05:08 PM on 05/16/2012

Thank you Virgin, you just lost a client.

[Jhames Alyn]

05:03 PM on 05/16/2012

OMG, I can't wait for my next flight when I'm forced to listen to other people's inappropriate telephone conversations. I hope they pass out ear plugs for those trying to avoid this social catastrophe.

[BurningStarz]

04:52 PM on 05/16/2012

wow such a bad idea

[Skeptical Cicada]

04:51 PM on 05/16/2012

Face the obnoxious cell user and yell just as loudly as he is--directly into his face.

[scenethelight]

04:48 PM on 05/16/2012

Here we go. I ha+te people and their cell phones.

[Skeptical Cicada]

04:47 PM on 05/16/2012

Remind me to never fly them again.

[Dawnisafakename]

04:22 PM on 05/16/2012

I read that hearing only one side of a conversation is more distracting than hearing both sides, so it'll be harder to ignore the people talking. Although, if they're going to be charged roaming rates, most people would probably just text instead.