Hello honey, I'm on the plane

Ryanair passengers flying to Dublin will be able to make calls on their mobile phone while in flight.

Several airlines have already dropped their ban on voice calls from personal hand sets and Ryanair is following suit this week by launching the service on 20 of its aircraft, following a deal it made with mobile service provider OnAir.

So far, a Ryanair representative told The Times yesterday, the service is available on flights to and from Dublin, Ireland but it is expected to be on offer aboard the entire fleet in the coming months.

Passengers will be charged a roaming fee by the mobile service provider, which will share profits with Ryanair.

The airline said customers will be charged between €2 and €3 a minute for international calls and about 50c for a text message. E-mail costs between €1 and €2.

However, the fees are subject to each customer's price plan, set by their own mobile service provider.