Qantas customers to get text trial, thankfully no voice calls

Link: Qantas trials airborne SMS, bans voice calls | NEWS.com.au

Qantas is about to start a three-month trial on a Boeing 767.
Passengers will be able to send and receive SMS messages and emails, but voice calls will be banned.

Virgin Blue may soon follow, with the airline indicating the idea was being considered.

A Qantas spokesman said the 767 would be fitted with technology to effectively convert the aircraft into a mini-country in the sky, enabling passengers to use their phones.

Mobiles will need to be converted to international roaming and the cost of text messages and emails will depend on the carrier.

It’ll be interesting to see if it gets much in the way of usage beyond ‘Hey, I’m in the plane’ style text messages.

Will people want to continue conversations at 50p a text while they’re in the plane?

Sure. 😉 Course they will. Just, not me. I’d much prefer email and would probably have a real problem paying 50p for a text unless I felt it was totally necessary.

Makes a mockery of all that ‘please put your phones off lest they interfere with our navigational equipment’ doesn’t it…