British Airways Plc has inaugurated its in-flight passenger phone service with the first use of Racal Avionics Ltd’s Satfone. The system, tested using British Telecommunications International’s Skyphone service was used on a Boeing 747 flight from London to New York; calls are routed from the system, which includes airborne antenna, via the Inmarsat satellite into […]
British Airways Plc has inaugurated its in-flight passenger phone service with the first use of Racal Avionics Ltd’s Satfone. The system, tested using British Telecommunications International’s Skyphone service was used on a Boeing 747 flight from London to New York; calls are routed from the system, which includes airborne antenna, via the Inmarsat satellite into British Telecom’s network, as described in CI No 1,013). It should be fully operational by the end of this year, by which time a second 747 will be fitted with the system; First Class and Club World passengers will be charged $9.50 a minute. The developers hope the system will eventually include provision for telex and telefax. Airfone Inc of Washington already has an in-flight telephone service, but it uses an alternative method of delivering services to an aircraft, treating the plane as a satellite and transmitting a ground-to-air beam straight at the aircraft.
