One of the last cell phone-free zones is about to disappear with Air New Zealand allowing calling, texting and emailing on certain domestic flights.
The airline’s new A320 planes will have special technology to allow you to use your phone, at a price.
Air New Zealand will fit out two planes with technology that allows people to call, text and email, a love users believe is long overdue.
“Pilots and airlines were being cautious ... but clearly it is time for us to get access to this modern communication in the air,” Telecommunications Users Association Paul Brislen said.
The new technology means each plane will have a cell phone base on board which then transmits the signals to a satellite, reducing the possibility of interference.
Emirates already uses it on international routes but Air New Zealand says its long haul flights will only have text and data. Voice calls will be reserved for domestic passengers only.
But for someone who is constantly connected, the time out of flying will be missed.
“I have to be connected 24/7 so when I fly…it’s nice to be forced to put my stuff away and be still for a second,” social media consultant Marian Schembari said.
Talk at ten thousand feet will cost you $3.50 a minute on Vodafone. Telecom is not offering the service.
The Civil Aviation Authority says Air New Zealand has been given special dispensation and the ban on cell phones remains on every other type of aircraft.
Any new requests to use phones on planes will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
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