Virgin Atlantic to Allow Cell Phone Use on Planes

Not too long ago, airlines began offering in-flight WiFi, which meant people could Skype with family, friends, and co-workers at 38,000 feet. Now Virgin Atlantic is offering passengers the chance to communicate with people on the ground using something other than VoIP. The company is offering cell service to travelers on its new A330 Airbus flying between London and New York.

According to the Daily Mail, customers will be able to make calls, send and receive text messages, emails and access the web via GPRS. Signals are sent from a base station on the plane to a satellite before being relayed back to the ground. Customers won't be permitted to do any of the above during take off or landing and only 10 people at a time can make calls. Service also has to be switched off 250 miles from American air space due to U.S. laws.

Of course, you know this kind of cell service isn't going to be cheap and if you're thinking it would end up being just as expensive as roaming, you'd be right. London's Daily Mail writes that calls will cost £1 per minute, which is just shy of $1.60 per minute. Text messages will be charged at £0.20 a text, which is nearly $0.32.

While it will be nice to be able to send a 'I'm landing early, leave now!' text message to someone on the ground, not everyone is going to be excited at the prospect of listening to people talk on the phone in such a small space. Would you prefer to see phones left switched off during flight? Let us know in the comments below!

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