From Tuesday, business class travellers flying between London and New York with BA will be able to use their mobiles to send texts and emails. The airline is rolling out the in-flight OnAir service which will let those vital texts and emails wing their way from 20,000 feet.
The new service will be pretty costly, at least the price of international roaming rates, and will be available on two of BA’s Airbus A318s flying between London City Airport and New York JFK.
Voice calls aren’t banned for tech reasons but to avoid extra irritations. BA says its not sure whether customers would be keen on putting up with voice calls during flights. The airline hasn’t ruled out adding voice calls in the future.
Unfortunately, unless your set to fly to New York with BA business class, you’re not going to get your emails in the air. BA’s boss Willie Walsh ruled out adding in-flight texts and emails on existing aircraft earlier this month.
However, budget airline Ryan Air has said it will add mobile connectivity to its fleet. That’s good news but probably not for your pocket given Ryan Air’s history of charging heavily for extras. Maybe just settle for their new e-cigarettes instead.
Out Tuesday | £varies | British Airways (via Silicon.com)
