Planes with in-flight mobile need ‘quiet zones’

A large proportion of European flights now allow in-air mobile phone use, but the European Union has warned that such services could irritate other passengers and, coupled with high costs, stunt further takeup.

A year ago, the European Commission set out basic regulations for in-flight mobile use. It expects the number of planes offering such a service will double by the end of the year, with demand driven by business travellers and younger passengers.

But Viviane Reding, the EU's Telecoms Commissioner, added that successful takeup requires two conditions quiet zones and low prices. "First of all, in-flight mobile phone use should not disturb other passengers, for example by leaving ample room for quiet zones during air travel, just like in trains," she said in a statement.

"Secondly, attention should be paid by the operators that prices for these services remain at a reasonable level," she said. At the moment, the EU said prices start from about 1.60 per minute for a call and 0.43 to send a text, depending on the mobile network used.

So far, just three European airlines offer the services: Portugal's TAP, Ireland's RyanAir, and the UK's BMI, while British Airways is planning to roll it out later this year. While RyanAir offers voice calling, BMI and BA are limiting the service to texting and mobile data, in order to avoid irritating their non-mobile-using passengers.