Ryanair dial into mid-air mobile calls
Flight firm to launch in-plane mobile calls
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Ryanair is just weeks away from letting its passengers make in-flight calls using mobile phones.
Although the company’s yet to make a formal announcement, a spokesman for OnAir – the firm providing the technology behind Ryanair’s service - told Register Hardware that the operator will initially equip 14 Dublin-based planes with the required hardware.
Only O2 and 3 have signed into the Ryanair service so far. Call costs will be set by individual operators, but OnAir’s spokesman added that calls could be priced at up to £2 ($4/€3) per minute – a little steep considering Ryanair’s the “low fares airline”.
Passengers will be able to simultaneously send unlimited numbers of texts and emails. But only six passengers at a time can make calls from their mobiles. If others try, they’ll get the engaged tone.
Ryanair’s expected to roll the in-flight mobile phone service out across its entire flight of planes, provided the initial launch is popular enough.
COMMENTS
Oh noes...
Really think this will be used by buisiness travellers? Really?
I foresee the lines being taken full time by 6 people calling "their loved ones" to tell them they love them, every time the plane hits a bump, or makes a "funny noise", and annoying first-time travellers giving a detailed account on where they are located now ("hey, look up, I'm flying over your house now").
Not to mention the people who keep updating their itinerary to the people waiting for them at the arrival hall.
I also don't know if, or how I will tolerate all the latest "crazy frog", "diddle dees" and Nokia morse-codes on full volume during the course of the flight.
(mine's the one with the GSM blocker in the pocket)
I must be the odd one out
Ryanair provide flights that are a fraction of the cost of other operators (OK about half the price) that go to where I want to be, rather than the capital city 90 minutes drive away. I take an iPod with acoustically isolated earphones so I can't hear the stupid announcements, generally sleep all the way, and have no desire to eat or drink on a flight that only lasts two hours. Chances I will make a phone call in-flight, less than a snowball's in a pizza oven.
I know it's fashionable to hate them, but when I look at fellow travelers they tend to be penny-squeezing MEPs, celebrity chefs, and the "chattering classes" heading for their second homes. Exactly the people who complain about Ryanair. In all the time that I have used them, the flight has never been late, my luggage always arrives at the same time as me. With national carriers I usually end up in a different country to my luggage on a third of flights, and the flights tend to be 30 minutes late departing.
If allowing some moron to rabbit on the phone keeps down the price of my ticket, then I'm happy. Pirate flag for O'Leary who deserves it.
"low fares airline"
"calls could be priced at up to £2 ($4/€3) per minute – a little steep considering Ryanair’s the “low fares airline”."
RyanAir has always charged large amounts for add-ons.
Seen the price they charge for the pathetic food they have on offer on-board? !!! A phone call for £2 a minute is probably more value than their crummy food at sky high prices.
And of course there are the low luggage limits with high charges for excess. Charges on top even for winter sports equipment unlike most of the standard scheduled airlines.
Once you add everything up, and factor in the cost of getting to the back of beyond that is Stansted, they're no cheaper than a BA flight.
Can't see your standard RyanAir customer bothering with mobile calls though and I welcome the price being suitably high. Only ones that might use it are drunk passengers who decide it's a laugh to phone their mates up from the plane and are too drunk to consider the cost. At least when they get over their hangover, they'll have an insanely high phone bill waiting for them, and the other passengers can laugh at them knowing this will be the case.
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