In-flight mobile service launched

THE days of airline passengers being told to turn their mobile phones off during flights look to be numbered, with Ryanair finally launching its long-awaited in-flight mobile phone service yesterday.

The airline has announced a trial run of the new system on its Dublin-based fleet, in conjunction with the Swiss-headquartered passenger in-flight communications services provider, OnAir.

The service will initially be available only to Vodafone and O2 network users, but OnAir is talking with 3 and Meteor, with a view to them coming on board. Last night 3 said it would be interested in signing up to the service, but only if the charges for customers were lower. In terms of costs to end users, all prices depend on mobile provider tariffs.

Customers will receive texts free of charge, but sending them will cost about 50c. Calls will cost between e2 and e3 a minute.

In reality — while Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary yesterday gushed about how the airline was effectively stealing a march on its competition by becoming the first European low-cost carrier to have such a service across its fleet — the project will not be an instant revenue booster for the company in the foreseeable future.

Fitting out each plane is costing the two companies an unspecified six-figure sum per plane, while Mr O’Leary admitted that it wouldn’t be a profitable operation in the small to medium term.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, the majority of revenue from the deal will be made by the mobile phone network operators and OnAir.

Secondly, the six-month trial — initially covering 20 Dublin-based Ryanair aircraft and up to 50 before the trial ends — will not be fleet-wide.

Mr O’Leary said the new service could generate significant revenues once Ryanair doubles its fleet and passenger levels over the course of the next five years.

He added that he did not envisage the trial failing and fully expected a total rollout across the fleet.

Although business travellers only represent between 30% and 40% of Ryanair customers, the airline feels the service will be popular across the board — from people wanting to keep in touch with their offices to those visiting family and friends and wanting to tell them of their arrival schedules.

“There will be an enormous appetite for this from the public as it’s a mass market means of communication,” said Mr O’Leary.

He claimed that there is more confidence in this offering than the airline’s previously failed in-flight entertainment trial of onboard DVD players.

“On that occasion, we were simply overtaken by technology, as people were boarding the planes with their own devices,” he said.