On board phone service for Air New Zealand

From November onwards, passengers flying with Air New Zealand will be able to use iPhones and BlackBerrys on board, The Times has reported.

An Aeromobile phone and data system is to be installed by the airline on its new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, allowing such data enabled mobile devices to be used.

Although passengers will not be permitted to make or receive voice calls during flights, they will be able to send and receive texts, and check their emails.

The service will cost $40 per megabyte of data, 80 cents per outbound text, and will be free to receive an inbound text.

Ed Sims, Air New Zealand’s group general manager, commented, “Feedback from our customers has shown they wish to be able to text, and check emails, to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues during their long-haul flights.”

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