Inflight mobile phones 'part of customer service'

The impending launch of an inflight mobile phone service by Emirates is part of a commitment to customer service rather than a way of making money, it has been claimed.

Patrick Brannelly, vice president of passenger communications for the airline, told the International Herald Tribune (IHT) that the carrier "does not consider this service a profit centre".

"It is an investment in customer service," he said.

Experts say that business travellers are likely to make good use of the service.

"A voice call on a short-haul journey tends to be part of the business day," George Cooper, chief executive of technology firm OnAir, said.

"You are maybe travelling to or from a meeting and most of the people you are likely to call are in the same time zone."

The capability to make mobile calls onboard Emirates flights is set to be introduced next month.

Any calls made while in the air will cost between $3 (£1.50) and $3.50 (£1.78) per minute, significantly below the rate currently charged for calls made from seatback phones, according to the IHT.

Mobile technology company AeroMobile, which is working with Emirates, has said that it is considering implementing onboard mobile services on a number of other airlines.

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