Last Available Phone-Free Refuge Threatened

Airbus announced this week it received airworthiness certification for a cell-phone system onboard its aircraft. On Monday, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved Airbus' GSM on-board system, for cell phone and Blackberry device use while flying.

With this approval, Airbus has taken a major step towards airline operation of the OnAir service that will enable passengers to use their BlackBerry-type devices and cell phones during flights in Europe. Passengers will be able to make and receive calls as well as send and receive emails and text messages while flying at altitudes above 9,840 feet.

Cabin crew can easily manage the service and will have the option of selecting a "voice-off" mode which only allows SMS text messaging and email services, according to the company.

"This certification is Airbus' first response to the growing market demand for on-board connectivity, "said Rainer von Borstel, Airbus Senior Vice President, Cabin & Cargo Customization. "It paves the way for the subsequent worldwide deployment of cell phone services and internet based services across all Airbus aircraft types."

OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and SITA, will act as the service provider for a range of connectivity services. Initially the service will be available on Airbus' Single Aisle Family for short-haul flights in Western Europe, probably the Airbus A318 operated by Air France.

Graham Lake, chief commercial officer of OnAir, told the International Herald-Tribune British airline BMI, Portuguese airline TAP and budget airline Ryanair have also signed up to offer the services.

"We are absolutely delighted by this news," he said. "Passengers will soon be able to use their own phones while in a flying aircraft."

There is a bit of a downside, though: the mother of all roaming charges.

According to Lake, the expected cost will be around $2.50 per minute for calls and 50 cents per SMS message. OnAir does not set pricing.

"Instead of roaming in a country, you are effectively roaming in the sky," Lake said. "We send your call via satellite down to the GSM network."

Don't look for a price list during your flight, however. "Similar to international roaming, it is perhaps never totally clear what the consumer's end price will be until the bill arrives," Lake said. "Passengers calling the same phone number from the same flight could pay very different amounts, depending on the contract they have with the cell phone service provider."

Cabin crews will have control over the OnAir system and can limit usage to incoming calls or text messages only, as they see fit.

"The system is designed for cabin crew to act when there is inappropriate behavior on board," Lake said. "Most airlines will probably shut off the incoming calls during overnight long haul flights."

But, what about an air travel being the last telephone-free sanctuary?

"We are certain that a cultural etiquette will develop on airlines as our system goes into operation," Lake said. "The underlying principle that airlines should adopt is encouraging respectful behavior."

There may be a few skirmishes, he added, because of the multicultural nature of commercial air travel.

"While some Mediterranean cultures find it polite to put your phone on the table during a meeting and answer when it rings, this is not done in the U.K.," Lake said. "The challenge inherent in aircraft is that they are by definition a place where cultures mix."

For those of us who prefer laptop computer use, Lake said the system would offer high-speed WiFi throughout the aircraft.

Lake said one of the hardest changes to make will be that of airline staff and the fear that using such communication devices is unsafe.

"The use of mobile phones is more a cultural than a safety issue," Lake said. "In some countries that are very opposed to the use of mobile phones in flight, I think we will have trouble changing the habits of airline crew."

OnAir determined through studies 10 to 25 percent of passengers and crew leave communication devices turned on despite instructions and warnings to the contrary. Cell phones will only put out one milliwatt of signal strength when searching for a network on the OnAir system, compared to one full watt otherwise.

"If mobile telephones were unsafe on aircraft, we would have already had many incidents," he said. "Just listen to all the beeps of people receiving SMS messages as any aircraft approaches landing."

The system's only restriction is use only above 9,840 feet and that is only because of cell phone service providers' concern about disruptions that could be caused from a single cell phone's attempt to connect to several land-based cell towers.

Isn't Airbus concerned about its success probability? After all, Boeing was recently forced to shut down its attempt to offer such a service, Connexion, due to lack of profit as well as passenger interest, the company said.

Lake said the OnAir system has fundamental differences and a highly sustainable business model.

"The Connexion system had to lease transponders whether they used them or not," Lake said. "Among other differences, we pay for what we use."

US regulators continue to ban cell phone use aboard planes because of potential interference with the aircraft's electronics.

FMI: www.airbus.com