Emirates says it’s the first airline to allow cellphone calls

Emirates says in a press release this afternoon that it has become “the first airline in the world to commercially launch an in-flight mobile telephone service, affording even greater convenience to passengers wishing to stay connected while traveling. The first authorized mobile phone call made from a commercial flight was made today at 30,000 feet en route to Casablanca, onboard an Emirates Airbus A340-300 aircraft — the first in the airline’s fleet to be equipped with the AeroMobile system.” Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum says: “As the world leader in innovation for our customers, we are delighted to now offer them the choice of using their own mobile phones to contact friends, family or colleagues while flying with us.”

Emirates says its mobile phone service “will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and the cabin crew will have full control over the system, including the ability to prevent voice calls at certain times such as during night flights. The number of calls that may be made at any one time is also limited to a maximum of five or six calls, the same number as for the current in-seat phones used regularly by Emirates’ passengers.”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2008/03/emirates-says-i.html

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