86% Say no to ‘Dial High Club’: Travellers Against Phones on Planes
86% Say no to ‘Dial High Club’: Travellers Against Phones on Planes Reveals Skyscanner
SINGAPORE, May 23, 2012-
A large majority of travellers would rather mobile phone use were not permitted on
planes, a new survey from flight comparison site Skyscanner [http://www.skyscanner.com ]
has revealed.
A surprisingly high proportion of people, 86%, said it would be ‘annoying to have to
listen to other people’s conversations’. Only 1% of respondents said they would pay more
to fly with an airline that offered mobile calls.
The overwhelming result comes just after Virgin Atlantic announced it would be the
first British airline to allow mobile phone calls during flights on its London to New York
route. Calls made in-flight will cost GBP1 a minute and sending a text will be 20 pence,
significantly more than when on terra firma, meaning that business users are likely to be
the primary market for the new facility, at least to begin with.
Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner Travel Editor commented: “In a world where we are now almost
always ‘on call’, it seems people don’t want to say good-bye to their last sanctuary of
non-connectivity. Flying allows us to switch off for a few hours, both from our own calls,
and other people’s.
“However, Virgin’s move into onboard mobile is the beginning of the end of the
no-phone zone. I think it’s inevitable that within a few years, making mobile calls at
30,000 feet will be commonplace on all airlines.”
Even though many people welcome improvements in general internet connectivity allowing
them to jump online in more and more places around the world, there appears to be a
markedly different attitude when it comes to mobile phone conversations in confined
spaces.
If mobile use were available onboard, 48% said they would send texts, 35% said they
would surf the web, 10% would send email, while only 6% would actually make and take
calls.
AboutSkyscanner
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Source: Skyscanner
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