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At Last: Virgin Offers In-Flight Cell Phone Service

...But at a cost that will make your eyes pop

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted May 16, 2012 12:54 PM CDT

(Newser) – Has the glorious day finally arrived? The day when travelers can resign "airplane mode" to the dustbin of history and text, tweet, and call their way through a trans-Atlantic flight? Well, no. Not really. But Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to allow passengers flying from New York to London to use their cell phones, routing them through a general packet radio service, CNET reports. But it's not going to be cheap.

Using the service will cost a whopping $1.20 per minute, and only six passengers will be allowed to do so at a time. And no, you still won't be able to use your phone during takeoff or landing, or within 250 miles of US airspace. "The service is intended for use in exceptional situations, when passengers need to send an SMS, make a quick call, or access an email," Virgin said. Hey, it's a start.

A Virgin Atlantic 747 plane lands at Heathrow Airport London, Friday, July 30, 2010.
A Virgin Atlantic 747 plane lands at Heathrow Airport London, Friday, July 30, 2010.   (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A British Airways 747 passes the tail fin of a Virgin Atlantic plane at Heathrow Airport,London, Friday, July 30, 2010.
A British Airways 747 passes the tail fin of a Virgin Atlantic plane at Heathrow Airport,London, Friday, July 30, 2010.   (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
WarmWeatherGuy
May 16, 2012 9:57 PM CDT
I think this is great. This news should be greeted positively, rather than bitching about how much it costs. I will probably never use it but it is nice to know that it is there if I do need it. Thank you Virgin.
Rational.-Anarchist
May 16, 2012 5:26 PM CDT
My,my. Just HOW did we manage BEFORE all this technology was available? 
carbonated_turtle
May 16, 2012 1:57 PM CDT
Bring on the Maglev trains. Time to bring these greedy pricks to their knees.
 

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