Qantas To Trial In-Flight Mobile Phone System

Qantas Airlines has announced that it will begin trials of a telephone system that will allow passengers to make calls on their mobile phones during flights.

Trials are due to be run on the Australian airline's Boeing 767 aircraft early next year, with other companies including Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair also due to trial similar systems.

The move comes in response to a survey conducted by Qantas which found that frequent fliers – typically flying on business – were very much in favour of the idea, arguing that they would benefit significantly from being able to stay in touch with work colleagues and others during the flight.

Qantas spokesman Wally Mariani commented: "With an increase in business travel, Qantas is committed to investing in products aimed at improving a customer's ability to stay connected in-flight."

However, there have also been some critics of the proposed plans, with passengers expressing concerns that allowing mobile phone calls would in fact create more annoyance than benefits.

Visit UK Net Guide's flight search for the latest flight offers on the web!