AIR PASSENGERS WANT TO USE THEIR MOBILES IN THE AIR

Skyscanner carried out a survey in October 2013 on the use of mobile phones while flying. For this study, 1000 international passengers were surveyed on whether or not they would use their phones on flights if they were allowed to do so. According to the results of the survey, a massive 61 percent of the respondents answered in the affirmative.

Currently, more than 67 percent of air passengers usually turn on their mobile devices, such as phones or tablets, once the plane hits the runway because current regulations restrict in-flight cellular communications. The phones are required to be either in flight mode or off.

Fortunately, the irritating habit of keeping your mobile device off as soon as you get into a plane and turning it on as soon as the plane lands may soon come to an end. The FAA (US Federal Aviation Authority) has established that mobile phones are now safe to use on planes and do not pose any security risk. Consequently, they are now trying to loosen these inconveniencing restrictions.

In fact, many airlines have already incorporated Wi-Fi connectivity on their planes though the service is only functional when the plane is in the air; that is after it takes off and before it lands. American Airlines and British Airways are some of the major airlines offering Wi-Fi connection to their passengers at an additional cost. On the other hand, Air France-KLM is still running some trials on Wi-Fi connection service in planes before incorporating it in all of the airplanes hopefully around December 2013 or January 2014.

According to the study carried out by Skyscanner, 75 percent of those interviewed do not like the idea of paying extra cash for the Wi-Fi connection services, which usually ranges between $15 and $30 per hour. However, they are happy about such services as they will be able to use their mobile devices on flights.