1p a flight, but £1.77 per email on Ryanair

 

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By Laura Haynes and Barry Collins

Posted on 20 Feb 2009 at 08:49

Low-budget airline Ryanair is allowing passengers to use mobile phones across British airspace for the first time.

The airline - which is famous for its 1p flight offers - is installing the satellite phone service in 20 of its aircraft, with the entire 170-strong fleet due to be upgraded over the next 18 months.

However, there's a distinct possibility that passengers will end up paying more for their phone calls than they do for their flight.

It will cost up to 3 euros (£2.67) per minute to make and receive calls, and 0.5 euros (44p) to send a text message - although SMS messages can be received for free.

Emails will cost up to 2 euros (£1.77), according to Ryanair's figures, which are presumably based on an undisclosed cost per kilobyte of data.

The move will inevitably lead to even more noise in the aircraft cabin, but Ryanair owner Michael O'Leary has little sympathy for passengers seeking peace and quiet.

"I have no patience with the Luddite approach that says people don't want to use their mobile phones in-flight," he told The Guardian.

"You don't take a flight to contemplate your life in silence. Our services are not cathedral-like sanctuaries. Anyone who looks like sleeping, we wake them up to sell them things."

The EU gave permission for airlines to allow mobile phone calls last year, but issued a strong warning that customers shouldn't be ripped off on call charges.

"We expect operators to be transparent and innovative in their price offerings," telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding warned.