Airphones: Phones on planes: Alas

Your neighbour’s head is already uncomfortably close to your own on most airplane flights. But what if your neighbour is also shouting down his or her mobile phone above the rumble of engine noise? Alas, that horror has now become a real possibility. Regulators have cleared OnAir’s system that allows mobile calls and Blackberry messaging on board European flights. Ryanair is due to roll out the service across its whole fleet by early next year, and Air France, Britain’s bmi and Portugal’s TAP ar...