'Failure' of mobiles on planes reported

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'Failure' of mobiles on planes reported

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By Editorial Team (Monday, 28th April 2008)

Although it was recently announced that the use of mobile phones would be permitted on some flights, it has been reported by the Times that the trial period on Air France has not been successful.

Mobile phone users who tried the on-flight service were said to have experienced problems with the technology, which sees calls directed to a ground station via a satellite.

A number of people had problems getting a signal, while there were also question marks raised about the quality of the calls.

The service, which costs around £2.40 per minute, was developed by On Air which has said it will resolve the issues ahead of further rollout with companies such as Ryanair.

A spokesperson for Ryanair told the Times: "Mobiles have become such an extension of people's lives that it is only natural to bring them into air travel."

In December last year, Air France announced the six-month mobile phone trial on some of its flights, with the understanding that passengers would be allowed to make voice calls as long as it did not affect the "comfort and well-being" of others on-board.