In-flight texts from London to Moscow

bmi has become the first British airline to offer its passengers an in-flight communications service that includes text messages, email and internet browsing from mobile phones and PDAs. The service, supplied by OnAir, is being trialled for six months on an Airbus A320 aircraft operating between Heathrow and Moscow. [Press release]

The Hang Up Act of 2008

Here's a proposed government bill that wants to do exactly what it says. Oregon congressman Peter DeFazio is sponsoring the Hang Up Act of 2008, which wants to prohibit passengers from making phone calls during aircraft flights. At a news conference he said "I think many Americans understand the potential for problems on aircraft if 100 or more people start talking on cell phones." The proposed bill would still allow people to send text messages and email. [Source: OregonLive.com]

EC approves mobiles on planes

The European Commission has approved the use of mobile phones flying over Europe, although the European Aviation Safety Agency still needs to approve any hardware that would be installed in aircraft. [Source: BBC News]

Ofcom plans for mobile phones on UK aircraft

Ofcom has said it plans to enable airlines to offer mobile phone services on UK-registered aircraft if they wish to do so. Aircraft operators will need to apply for a Mobile Communications on Aircraft (MCA) licence, although there'll be no additional charge. The equipment will confirm to technical specifications that have already been agreed by the Electronic Communications Committee of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations and the European Electronic Telecommunications Standards Institute. The European Aviation Safety Agency, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport will also need to approve any plans before mobile phones are permitted on aircraft. [Press statement]

Mobile phone call authorised on commercial flight

The world’s first authorised mobile phone call on a commercial flight took place yesterday on Emirates flight EK751 flying between Dubai and Casablanca. The call used equipment from AeroMobile and was approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the United Arab Emirates-based General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). aviation. Dubai-based Emirates says passengers will be asked to switch their mobiles to “silent” mode during flights. The airline’s cabin crew will be in full control of the mobile phone system, which allows calls and text messages, throughout flights. Currently there's only one aircraft - an Airbus A340-300 - that's using the system, although a second Emirates aircraft, a Boeing 777-300, has already been installed with the AeroMobile system and will be in operation soon. [AeroMobile press release]

Mobile search boomed during last year's airport strikes

December's delays and strikes at UK airports led to a large number of customers using their mobile phones for flight information, according to the latest quarterly search figures from m-spatial. Their Mobile Local Search Index for Q4 2007 shows that searches for airport information rose 33 places to become as the seventh most popular search category. In fact, the number of searches for airport information in Q4 was almost as many as the rest of 2007 put together. The top three rankings are unchanged from 2006 - cinema, train information and fast food - as are the top three brands (Cineworld, Odeon and Tesco), although mobile phone services also jumpedup the charts, moving up 26 places to eighth. [PDF press release]

Air France offers mobile usage on international flights

Air France has launched the world's first in-flight mobile phone service on an international flight. It's equipped its Airbus A318 aircraft with a system from OnAir, enabling customers to send and receive texts messages, picture messages and emails during a six-month test period. Calls will be permitted during the second half of the test. [Press release]

60 million texts to be sent from planes in 2010

Airline passengers will send over 60 million text messages in 2010, according to a study from Freesky Research. The report's author says many low-cost carriers are already introducing text and email services, which will prompt larger airlines to follow suit. [Press release on WebWire.com]