Virgin Atlantic makes in-flight phone calls a reality

PanARMENIAN.Net - Passengers flying with Virgin Atlantic from London to New York will soon be able to make in-flight phone calls, BBC News reported.

Only six people will be allowed to talk at once, and phones will still have to be turned off at take-off and landing.

By the end of 2012, the service could be available on at least 10 routes, the company has said. Analysts say that in-flight calls and wi-fi are the future, and soon the technology will be on most aeroplanes.

The service will be available on the airline's Airbus A330-300s. Mobile access will be provided by AeroMobile, and only customers of European carriers Vodafone and O2 or the US carrier T-Mobile will be able to make calls.

Phone calls will not be free - passengers will be charged what they usually pay for international roaming calls.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission bans the use of mobile phones on aeroplanes, so passengers will not be allowed to make calls when approaching U.S. airspace.

Although Virgin Atlantic is the first British carrier to allow passengers to make phone calls above the clouds, several others have similar services.

In 2008, Dubai-based Emirates became the first airline to allow flyers to use their phones while in the air.

Although in-flight communications have been slow to properly take off, there is little doubt that soon, internet browsing and phone calls at 36,000ft will be available on most planes, Diogenis Papiomytis from consulting firm Frost & Sullivan told the BBC.