Mobile Phones on Aircraft: Ryanair Rollout Voice/SMS/Email Services

The news that budget airline Ryanair has started to rollout an in-flight mobile phone voice service should come as no surprise, after all back in 2006 the company announced it would be introducing the service 'soon' . Ryanair is constantly looking at ways to generate additional in-flight revenue and has worked extremely hard to fully understand the services that will sell to its passenger demographic.

It obviously views an early adoption of in-flight voice mobile service as potentially a very profitable revenue stream (early pricing being: £1.50-£3 per minute, text messages at 40p a go and e-mails from £1-£2) and as a bonus using the wide spread reporting of the new service as free advertising.

For the initial phase 20 Aircraft have been equipped for the service, with the remainder of the fleet being refitted over the next 18 Months. The service provider is OnAir and for the ground segment , they have arrangements with 50 mobile phone operators throughout Europe to route call once it leaves the OnAir Network. Currently only one UK Network is signed up, this being O2, but talks with the rest of the major UK Networks are in progress.

Those of you who have followed by previous posts on this subject know that whilst I find the technology fascinating, I am more than a little concerned over the adverse impact on passengers who use the flight part of their journey as 'quiet time' whether for reviewing work, or just relaxing.

Well the introduction of the service is likely to make Ryanair flights louder and more boisterous.
However, Michael O'Leary, the company's chief executive, has little sympathy for passengers trying to catch up on sleep or hoping for a little peace and quiet on their trip:

"I have no patience with the approach that says people don't want to use their mobile phones in-flight," he told The Guardian. "You don't take a flight to contemplate your life in silence. Our services are not cathedral-like sanctuaries. Anyone who looks like sleeping, we wake them up to sell them things."

"We will be encouraging our passengers to make as many calls as possible because that will lower our costs and boost our revenues."

Which really sums up the Ryanair philosophy. With the current economic situation companies are going to further increase the use of Budget Airlines for Business Travel, as most of Ryanair Flights are short haul, Business travellers used to traditional airline service may become irritated, but no more. However for routes that are deemed Medium Haul, being sat next to a 'Mobileholic' could lead to the first instance of Anti-Mobile Rage on an Aircraft - We shall see!

Meanwhile the Idle Man will follow the Ryanair rollout with interest.

Previous Posts on this Subject:

Mobile Phones on Aircraft - Like the Technology - Hate the Consequences 22nd October 2007

Mobile Phones On Aircraft - Update 8th November 2007

Mobile Phones On Aircraft - US Congress to vote on in-flight mobile ban 01st August 2008 (This never went to a full vote and therefore the proposed law was abandoned)

External Links:
Guardian - Ryanair starts in-flight mobile phone service

Telegraph - Ryanair launches mobile phone service

BBC - Ryanair allows mobile phone use

Lost Before It Started - A Defence of the Realm Series

One of the Blogs the Idle Man considers a must read is:
Defence of the Realm

Whilst I don't always agree with the authors opinions, I do find the articles interesting and thought provoking. Currently there is a series running on this blog entitled: Lost Before it Started, which is highly critical of the senior echelons of the British Army, the MOD and their Political Masters.

Whilst the main theme is the Authors view that the British Army Mission in Iraq was more than a failure it was a defeat and the implications for ongoing operation in Afghanistan. He backs this up with an analysis of the Politics, both internal Army as well as Government and how in part the problems stem back to the Blair vision of European defence integration.Of special interest is how these policy failures have been exacerbated by systemic (and therefore fatal to the troops on the ground) flaws in equipment procurement (something the idle Man has believed was the case for over 30 years). The author plans seven articles in this series and I suggest they must be read in order as follows:

Lost before it started - Part 1
Focuses on the Blair vision of European defence integration and its effects on UK Defence Strategy and in particular the Army and the perceived procurement requirements.

Lost before it started – Part 2
Looks at the effects of the 2003 Defence Whitepaper and how this lead the senior echelons of the Army to focus on implications of this strategy change (without seriously challenging them), rather than the immediate needs of the Army in Iraq. Leading to the setting of long term procurement projects, whilst to a large extent ignoring major shortfalls in current equipment,

Lost before it started - Part 3
A new Chief of the General Staff take over – General Sir Richard Dannatt. But the madness goes on.

Lost before it started – Part 4
This compares the Army as envisioned under the 2003 Whitepaper (the so called fantasy army) as might have been, and finds it still casts a long shadow over the operational capabilities of the Army.

Lost before it started – Part 5
The Army's response to criticisms, and its broader response to its own failures, reflecting on the nature of the problems which affect the Army high command..

Lost before it started – Part 6
The vexed question of under-resourcing. Throughout the Iraqi campaign, the mantras of "underfunding" and "over-stretch" were frequently in the media and came easily from the lips of opposition politicians. More "boots on the ground" and more money were the answers to all ills. However, as always, there are more to these issues than meets the eye.

Lost before it started – Part 7
In this final part, the Author on whether the British Arny, despite the handicaps, could have succeeded. Reviewing what actually did happen after the British had retreated to their final base at Basra airport, we believe they could.

Moving the US Air 'Hudson River' A320 to a Hangar

This picture series of 11 Photographs forms a follow-up to the post on the 26th January 2009:
Recovery of US Air Airbus A320 from the Hudson River

This post covers the transport of the Aircraft Fuselage through the streets of Red Hook New York State during its transfer to a Hangar for detailed examination:






















Copyright Unknown.

Save Our Vulcan

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Banks Continued Failure to Provide Loans makes a UK Depression Inevitable

Article Updated: 11th February 2009 at 0600 GMT

Having contacted the Author Mark Jago, he has given me permission to post his article.

In the financial world they have saying that a rising tide lifts all ships. US and UK government policies by deregulating financial industries and neglecting to provide responsible oversight, combined with Fed Chairman Greenspan's low interest rate policy has brought about an over stimulation of the world economy and the creation of market bubbles. In hind sight it's easy to see why this happened, the 2001 technology bubble should have been a wake-up call to US and UK policy makers. However, as we now know they did not heed the warnings.

Mortgage companies made money by selling large mortgages at low "teaser rates" without regard to the fact that their clients would not be able to make the monthly payments at normal interest rates. Banks made high profits by leveraging up their subprime mortgage loan portfolio and packaging them with high quality debt that was sold on as high quality debt into world debt investment markets.

US Federal Chairman Greenspan retired and was replaced by Dr Bernanke. Dr Bernanke immediately instituted a policy of interest rate hikes that led to the collapse of the US housing market bubble. This exposed the fraudulent excesses of the US and UK financial systems which in turn led to a rapid stock market crash and the freezing of global banking market liquidity.

Subsequent government bailouts of the banking system have been little more than a band-aid solution that have addressed some of the crisis symptoms but have done nothing to mitigate the consequences. The UK government bank bailout was a reactive response and a measure of last resort in an attempt to stave off a financial catastrophe. The US decision to bailout the banks rather than buying the toxic assets came about because there was no understanding about the size of the toxic lone problem.

The tide of global financial liquidity has disappeared the consequences of government's management of the UK economy has now been laid bare for all to see. The symbiotic relationship between the government and the City of London that allowed for the parasitic siphoning of wealth into the hands of a few is broken. However, old habits die hard and it's not surprising that it's been reported the Royal Bank of Scotland now owned by taxpayers intends to hand out a 1 billion pounds in staff bonuses. While at the same time they are calling in business loans, forcing companies into bankruptcy protection, destroying tax revenue and adding to UK workforce un-employment.

The North Sea oil Company Oilexco is an example of the damage being done by the UK banks and by the UK Government's failure ensure the integrity of the banking system. It was one of the UK's most active developers of UK oil and gas has been forced into bankruptcy protection after RBS withdrew its banking line of credit. The New technology that this Canadian oil company had been using had the potential of revitalizing North Sea energy production and providing the UK economy with much needed revenue.

What was initially primarily a US, UK financial crisis has now become a rapidly deepening global crisis. The UK has become an unreliable partner that can't be relied upon to do its part to support foreign investment and investments in the future of its own economy. The party is over in Britain, there is a limit to the number of times investors will accept being burnt. The world now understands clearly how things are in the UK and unless there is significant change in UK policy it is at risk of be viewed in the same way it views a certain failed African state.

The time for talk by the UK Prime Minister is over immediate government action is required NOW. It's clear that are funds available for bank bonuses, then funds MUST be made available to support companies like Oilexco and by doing so to support the UK economy and energy industry. The UK Government and banking industry track record is such that they clearly are un-qualified to make the judgement call on what merits an appropriate investment.


M.J

Related Posts:
5th January 2009:
Banks Risk Scottish North Sea Oil industry and Britain's Energy Future
7th January 2009:
Oilexco In Adminstration - Will other Dominos Fall

If you found this article interesting then the Idle Man recommends the following blogs:

BBC Blog: - Stephanomics - Stephanie Flanders, the BBC's economics editor

BBC Blog: - Peston's Picks - Robert Peston BBC Business Editor

BBC Blog: - Nick Robinson's Newslog - BBC Political Editor