FOR some high-flyers it's a rare haven to escape the demanding ring of the mobile phone and the unwanted chatter of fellow passengers.

But for those who can’t stand being disconnected on a long-haul flight, Virgin Atlantic has rejected howls of protest to let you use your mobile in the air.



The move comes despite other airlines - including Lufthansa and Qatar Airways – quickly dropping the service after being swamped by passenger complaints, and research from Qantas scotching the idea.



From today, passengers on Virgin Atlantic’s new Airbus A330 jet flying the London to New York route will be allowed to make calls, send and receive text messages, as well as accessing emails and using a basic internet access via GPRS.



The system is like having a telecoms base station on the plane relaying the signals to a satellite or land-based system without interfering with the aircraft’s instruments.

The new mobile phone system will be available throughout the aircraft in all cabins, with passengers being billed for the international roaming charges.



The service cannot be used during take-off or landing and must be turned off approximately 402kms from US airspace.



Because of a limited bandwidth only 10 people can make calls simultaneously.



It is also currently only being offered to customers with 02 or Vodafone networks.



Virgin Atlantic spokesman Greg Dawson said although there were no plans to bring the service to Australia yet, the airline was keeping up with passenger demand.



Mr Dawson said the service would also be available on the airline’s B747 aircraft, which are currently being refurbishment and available on 20 planes by the end of the year.



“We have listened to what customers want and connectivity in the air is always on the wish list,” he said.



“Many people will have experienced that moment when you’re about to take off on a 10-hour flight and you need to send an important message to the office, or even reminding a family member to feed the cat.”



However the experience of other airlines has shown many passengers value their quiet time on flights.



When Qatar Airways added mid-air call ability in 2009 more than 80 per cent of passengers voted against the system because it disturbed their sleep and comfort.



Lufthansa also quickly disabled the option to make mobile phone calls - that it had also introduced in 2009 - “in response to the wishes of a majority of our customers”.



A Qantas spokesperson said the airline had no plans to introduce an in-flight calling option, despite trialling it in 2007, because research showed passengers were against it.



“While our customer research shows passengers are keen on connectivity such as the internet, they’re not so keen to be sitting next to someone nattering on their phone on a long-haul flight,” the spokesperson said.



The airline is trialling in-flight connectivity between Australia and Los Angeles allowing passengers to access the internet and emails via their laptops.



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