Ryanair Introduce Mobiles Onboard
 

RYANAIR AND ONAIR LAUNCH EUROPE’S 1ST FLEET WIDE INFLIGHT MOBILE PHONE SERVICE

PASSENGERS CAN NOW CALL & TEXT ONBOARD 20 RYANAIR AIRCRAFT

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (19th Feb) launched its in-flight mobile phone service initially onboard 20 of its (mainly) Dublin based aircraft. This is the first step in fitting Ryanair’s entire fleet of over 170 aircraft to allow all passengers to make and receive mobile calls and texts on all Ryanair flights.

Passengers on Ryanair’s 20 OnAir enabled aircraft can now make and receive voice calls at (non – EU) international roaming rates (£1.50-£3 pm) text messages (40p+) and email (£1-£2) using their mobile phones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones. These price tariffs are set by each mobile service provider and are subject to each customer’s individual price plan.

The service will initially be available to “O2” customers and to customers of over 50 other mobile phone operators across Europe. At the launch OnAir confirmed that it is working with other UK mobile operators (“Vodafone”, “Orange” and “3”) to ensure that their customers can also keep in touch with the office, family and friends when travelling.

Michael O’Leary said:
“Today’s launch by Ryanair and OnAir is the first step to offering in-flight mobile phone
services onboard our entire fleet of over 170 aircraft over the next 18 months. This
service will allow passengers to keep in touch with the office, family or friends. We
expect customer demand for this service to grow rapidly and hope that customers of all UK mobile operators will soon be able to call or text home from 30,000 feet to tell loved ones of yet another on time Ryanair flight.”

Benoit Debains, CEO of OnAir, said,
“Mobile OnAir is the most advanced in-flight communications service in the world and
this European fleet-wide rollout marks a real milestone in aviation. We are proud to
work with Ryanair, the world’s largest international scheduled airline, and to provide
their 67 million passengers with access to this new technology which will enable them to send and receive emails, text messages, download attachments and make and receive calls just as they would on the ground.’

Ends.

Thursday, 19th February 2009



How it works:
To access Mobile OnAir, passengers simply switch on their GSM-enabled phones when cabin signs indicate that the Mobile OnAir service may be used. As long as their mobile service provider has a roaming agreement with OnAir, passengers are able to use GSM and GPRS services as seamlessly as they would on the ground.

Phones or BlackBerry-type devices connect to an antenna onboard the aircraft and a mini-GSM network. The mini-GSM network sends the calls and data via an Inmarsat
SwiftBroadband satellite link to the ground where it connects to the OnAir ground
infrastructure. This then routes the calls and data to public networks (mobile and fixed
network operators).

About pricing:
Pricing is set by your home mobile operator and varies from operator to operator. As a
general rule, text messages will cost about £0.40, calls will cost between £1.50 and £3.00 per minute, and smart phone email sessions between £1.00 and £2.00 if there are no major file transfers (100 KB of data). Please check with your home mobile operator for specific rates.
Switching on your mobile phone and receiving text messages is free. Communications costs will appear in the normal way on the bill.

Another good reason to avoid RYR then :}

Mind you I doubt if the average RYR punter will want to fork out 3 quid a minute to natter about nothing!

Oh, and I said it before and I say it again, watch out for future cases of mobile air rage. Fun times ahead :E

Oh, Avman. Of course they'll spend £3 a minute to natter. All you will hear is some half canned chavs all yelling "I'm on the plane", others sending constant sms' so all the bleeping will drive you mad, etc.

MobileAir Rage indeed, Just wait until you are on a plane where half the passengers all call their mates and you have a big "Y Viva Espana" sing-song.

Aye - another reason why when Blighty side I won't fly Chantelle airlines.

Mobiles
 

isn't there new technology that stops people having to shout into their mobile phones when they can't hear the other person? It could also be a cultural thing. The Irish love to shout into their mobiles. They also love to listen in to what others are talking about so they couldn't have choosen a better route than this one to introduce such inflight entertainment.

The BBC are reporting that you will also be charged to RECEIVE calls (eg as if you were abroad). I wonder how many people won't realise.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Ryanair allows mobile phone use

ryanair introduce mobile phones on flights
 

Hi all,

Heard about this on the radio and came across an article in one of the evening papers about it.

its bad enough having to listen to some moran on the bus shouting down the phone and everyone known his business etc where he works/type of car they have/where there going on holidays etc.

but to sit beside someone on just say a 2hr flt my head would be melted phones ringing texts going off i just hope the cost deters them:*

im sure other airlines will follow shortely then i will have no peace&quiet i just hope EI dont do it on US route,s the thoughts of dub-lax jaysus
Ryanair to allow mobile phone use on 20 aircraft - Business, National News - Herald.ie

Not surprising really. I think a good way to summarise OnAir's services is it acts as a roaming partner, making airspace an additional zone or country (depending on how each home operator operates their roaming services). All roaming services (to the best of my knowledge) charge for both dialling and receiving calls. The only thing that is free is receiving SMS (and possibly MMS).

It will be down to the airlines (BA are implementing OnAir's services on their A318 fleet this autumn) to clearly advise passengers before they travel and use the service to get in touch with their operator as roaming charges will apply, and down to mobile operators to clearly list the charges for roaming in the skies.

What will be interesting to keep an eye on is whether the EU step in and demand that the roaming rules that they're forcing on EU operators on OnAir's services when overflying the EU...

Am I the only person that doesn't have a problem with people using their mobile phones? At the end of the day, chances are you won't be able to hear or be heard due to the loudness of the aircraft too so not sure it'll be used a huge amount either

Texting and Blackberry's, yes..I think it will be useful.

Voice, no more likely to be accepted than current in-flight phones.

CF, when you have an aircraft full of people going for a chavtastic holiday to the Costa del Plonker you can be sure that there will be a heck of a lot of people who are half canned yelling to their mates that they are at "X" altitude over somewhere, you'll have blokes yelling at their woman to get off the phone because it costs too much, kids playing with the ringtones so they are kept amused, others talking about business deals (or pretending to), etc, etc, etc.

As there will be a load of people using their phones on any given flight, plus the ambient noise, they will all get louder and louder. Think about what it can be like on a train, and then multiply it. You can be sure that someone will kick things off because of someone else using their phone, and all it needs is one nervous pax to be the one who is stressed like a piano wire and having to suffer someone gabbling away on his cellphone and you have a situation.....

Well, you're both blind then! What's this: http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf...s-onboard.html

So are some mobile phone conversations acceptable, depending on the perceived social class of the callers, or the content of the conversation?

MOL in today's Grauniad: "Anyone who looks like sleeping, we wake them up to sell them things. We will be encouraging our passengers to make as many calls as possible because that will lower our costs and boost our revenues."

I'll have to get an iPod.

I agree with you Cornish but we are really in a minority grouping on this one.

No - but yes but no.

BA Snobs V Ryanair Chav s ?
 

Flying Frisbee = Quote:
So are some mobile phone conversations acceptable, depending on the perceived social class of the callers, or the content of the conversation?
Well said ! Im sick of this mini class war going on within the depths ov this so called proffesional forum . Prejudice ooze's from within these web pages .

I don't suppose you get chav's on British Airways now do you ?

So its ok for good old Ba passengers to phone home to their better halfs

" Daphne Darling will be home around 10pm put the champagne on ice dear , get my harrods bathrobe & slippers warmed up on my £2000 heated towel rail peeps Oh and don't forget i want the Fortnum & Maison Cavier to be room temps ..luv u xx

But no phones for us Serfs who fly Ryanair

" Hey La your not goin to F--kin believe this ? I managed to get 60 sleeves of L& B in that suitcase r kid lent me ..
For F--ks sake dozy hole - you know the one with the big LFC badge and false bottom ! The one he bought back from Columbia before he got nicked !
Do me a favour woman ...stay in the carpark and keep the engine tickin over ..never mind what for ! "

Toad Load - No - but yes but no = I had To Laugh ..very Witty !

but seriously folks - Its ok for BA but not Ryanair ...get a grip !

Has anyone here actually said that it's OK for BA but not for Ryanair?

Methinks pretty much everyone is against mobiles on planes, full stop.


I know I am, the last thing you want is to spend hours sitting next to some eejit wittering on about business deals, or people just talking rubbish because they are "on the plane, flying over your house... NOW"

I don't think anyone has said it's OK for BA but not for Ryanair. I'm not totally sure what it's in reference to either.

What BA are doing when they roll out OnAir on the A318s this autumn is setting the system up to allow SMS and data (email) only - not voice. Then, if there is demand, they will activate the system for voice too.

I think this is a better way of dealing with it. You won't then hear "yeah I'm on the plane" every two seconds. And I doubt anyone will be ringing anyone on the overnight flight back to the UK.

I do think though that if a silent (in terms of mobiles) cabin is to be employed, then perhaps a clause "you must switch your device to silent/vibrate" should be included.

Me thinks Ryanair could become an unbearable airline to travel on... Well, aside from the no luggage, no carry on, no wheelchair or pushchair, no check-in desk, no contact with a human on the ground, everything must be done on the internet or else policy that's coming into full effect...