51% Asian flyers want cell phones on planes

More than half of Asian air travellers are in favour of using mobile phones on board planes, global flight search site Skyscanner found in its survey. The survey of over 10,000 travellers across Asia Pacific found that 51 per cent of travellers were fine with the move to allow passengers to make calls on a flight.

Asian travellers welcomed the introduction of mobile phones on planes as opposed to those from Europe. In a similar survey conducted in the UK earlier this year, an overwhelming 86 per cent of travellers told Skyscanner they were against the introduction of mobile phone use on planes, Skyscanner said in a press release.

Skyscanner conducted the survey as a response to an Emirates announcement that it would provide mobile phones on board flights.

“The move by Emirates is a bold one and is something that travellers will no doubt find a talking point over the coming months. While many Asian air travellers applauded this move, passengers who do decide to make calls on-board may be advised to do so discreetly, as the results of our survey show that many are likely to be annoyed by people chatting loudly next to them”.

In Indonesia, 59 per cent of the respondents told Skyscanner that they would make use of the new in-flight facility, while 23 per cent of them objected to the move.