How Much Closer Are Passengers to Making In-Flight Calls?

As the FCC's consultation period on the extension of access to mobile wireless devices onboard aircraft comes to an end, Airbus and SITA joint venture OnAir repeated its recommendation to the FCC and the FAA to define regulations in a manner which will allow airlines to decide whether or not to allow passengers to make calls in-flight. It has also asked the U.S. government not to pass any legislation which would ban the use of cell phones in-flight. OnAir argues that in-flight connectivity is a growing market in the U.S. and globally. Citing Skift's recent survey which shows that only 18% of air passengers in the U.S. have used in-flight connectivity, OnAir points out the significant potential for growth. They also point out the statistics from Skift's survey which show that 18-24 year olds are most likely to use in-flight connectivity to communicate with their friends, family and colleagues on the ground. "The U.S. authorities have three choices," said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnA