Cell Phone Usage on Flight – Coming To A Seat Near You

How important is cell phone usage to you? Think for a moment, you are at the airport and just before boarding you make sure all the phone calls to family, friends and office are done, because you won’t be able to use your cell phone for the next few hours. Well this news might be just what you needed to hear (depending on how you like to travel). Technology has made travelers’ lives a bit easier. You can now stay connected while on flight in the sky with your cell phone.

Emirates Airlines has launched cell phone usage in its flights. It is the first airline to provide this service to its passenger. Qantas and Virgin Atlantic Airlines is exploring similar option while Cathay Pacific has announced that it will equip its entire fleet with an on-board cell phone system for GSM mobile phones, starting in 2012. As you can see, not all airlines are equipped to provide cell phone usage on flights. Therefore make sure you still follow each airlines’ rules when you are on a flight.

Cell Phone Usage on Flights | (c) Photo By ZDnet

Phones on flights built behind our flight seats cost more than $10 plus a connection fee for a call. With the new cell phone system, the same call can be made between $1-2 per minute. As always the international roaming rates apply but it still saves us money.

However, I hope that this new perk does not get passengers to chit chat for hours while on flight because that can be annoying to nearby passengers. Some of us like to take a nap and relax while on flight. What is your take on in-flight cell phone usage? Share your thoughts below on cell phone usage on our comments section.