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Travellers call for phones on flights
Almost half of frequent flyers in the Middle East want the freedom to use mobile phones on board, according to a new study of business and leisure travel trends.
Travel Tracker, a Mena-wide survey by YouGovSiraj, found just one in ten travellers would like to see mobiles remain switched off during flights.
47% of business travellers and 43% of leisure travellers said they want complete freedom to use their phones, with around a quarter saying they would prefer designated areas for mobile use.
The results reveal a conflict with the views of UK business travellers, who largely oppose the introduction of in-flight mobile calls. A similar survey found 56% of British travellers were against the idea.
“The research has uncovered an interesting trend in this region, which contrasts with other more mature markets .This may be because travelers in this region do not use trains as they do in markets such as the UK where on-board mobile etiquette has become an issue and special quiet zones have been created. Some airlines are considering mobile phone use and it looks like that is what business and leisure travelers alike want", said Jane Wilson, director of travel and tourism research at YouGovSiraj.
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Comments 1-4 of 4
Posted by sye webster, abu dhabi, uae on 6 January 2008 at 07:09 UAE time
Why are airline staff employed by Ethihad/Emirates/Qatar airways too scared to tell passengers to shut their phones off? It does not happen with the major European airlines.
Posted by Gulf_Slf, London, UK on 3 January 2008 at 18:46 UAE time
I have asked Emirates Airline if it is going to have a mobile free cabin on board, or if it is going to issue noise canceling headphones to all passengers, however I am still waiting an official response.
Posted by Valerie Houghton, Abu Dhabi, UAE on 3 January 2008 at 16:44 UAE time
Is there a ban on phone use while in the air? While this may exist, in reality, mobile phones are used by passengers frequently during non-mobile approved times. My most recent experience of this was about 3 weeks ago flying a major airline in the UAE. Flight attendants turn a blind eye and the young staff are too timid to demand immediate action from the passenger. Other passengers do not report the violation. I did speak to the two gentlemen on either side of me who said it was "important" that they they use their phone while were flying. My comments that they had no right to violate the rules and put lives at risk was met with shrugs of he shoulder. . If God wills it should interfere with the operation of the plane, then so be it. With this attitude very common place in the Middle East the risk of having additional people violating rules of safety with no regard of the consequences seem to outweigh the benefits of meeting a marketing ploy for "Crack Berry" passengers.
Posted by Silent Minority, Dubai on 3 January 2008 at 09:51 UAE time
You have to wonder what the majority of these people believe is THAT important that they feel the need to use a mobile phone while at 30,000 feet.
Do I really need to overhear about the latest negotiations for 100,000 widgets?
Do I really want to be woken by incessant, annoying tones by the salesman sat next to me as he engages in an SMS conversation with his child?
Or even worse: "Hi sweetheart, we're coming in to land now...yes I'll make sure I go through Duty Free before I some out...what, no, I took the car...blah, blah, blah..."
Whatever airline determines this is the way forward beware. Re-read the article - over 50% of your customers will switch airlines overnight if you do this.