Fliers reject phones on planes

The majority of business travellers do not want mobile phones to be used on flights despite the fact that it is likely to happen in the near future.

A poll carried out by the Business Travel show and YouGov revealed that 56% of business travellers were against the move, compared with just 16% who were in favour.

This compares with figures of 46% and 23% respectively when the same question was posed to members of the public, suggesting that those who theoretically have the most to gain by making calls from the air are actually the most opposed to its adoption.

“These figures support the feelings of the International Airline Passengers Association, so it’s interesting to read that airlines such as Air France, BMI and Ryan Air are already planning to install and test phone masts ahead of receiving the green light from the Civil Aviation Authority,” said David Chapple, Business Travel show event director.

“We are keen to see if in-flight mobile use does take off or whether passenger action will ground it,” he added.