That Air France in-flight calling trial is now well underway, and it looks like there's still some kinks left to iron out. The New York Times hitched a ride on a recent flight featuring tests of the system, and found that things weren't quite working up to snuff: voice quality was said to be like "talking to a small robot," only six passengers could get a signal at a time, Blackberry email didn't work, and calls placed from the ground to cell phones in the air went straight to voicemail. That's a pretty long list for a system that's been talked about for a couple years now -- let's hope OnAir manages to clear up some of these glitches before angry passengers revolt over not only having to listen to other people's conversations, but also their screaming over bad connections.

Not even a week after hearing that Air France was forging ahead with an in-flight calling trial, the European Commission has now voiced its approval of using mobiles on planes in European airspace. After six months of deliberating, the decision was finally made to give airlines the choice of offering up services in order for guests to dial loved ones at 3,000-meters or more. The EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, went on to warn operators to "keep the cost of calls made on planes at a reasonable level," and of course, not all is clear just yet. For starters, the European Aviation Safety Agency still needs to green-light the whole ordeal by approving any hardware that would be used, and we won't be seeing any 3G action up high just yet. Still, at least one less hurdle stands in the way of you phoning home from over Europe (and simultaneously making enemies out of all your neighbors trying to get a few decent minutes of shuteye).

Not even half a year after Air France enabled passengers on its single OnAir-equipped Airbus A318 to send / receive messages and e-mail, the airline has went live with the second phase of the in-flight experiment. As of this week, guests who find themselves aboard the aforesaid aircraft can make / receive calls on their mobile at 30,000 feet. Reportedly, a dozen simultaneous calls are possible "per picocell network, as well as unlimited text messages and e-mails," and while pricing details weren't disclosed, you can rest assured it won't be a bargain. Nevertheless, the voice aspect of the trial is scheduled to carry on for three months, and we're assuming the results (read: whether annoyed passengers start assaulting chronic yappers) will determine if it gets rolled out to more of the fleet or quietly buried.

[Via WiFi Net News]

Although we'd always assumed that Ryanair would be the first to roll out Airbus' OnAir in-flight calling system, it looks like Air France is going to take the prize -- the airline is now rolling out Mobile On-Air 2.5G cell service on select international flights. Passengers on European-route Airbus A318s can now use their phones to send and receive texts, MMS, and email over the system when the new "no mobiles" light is switched off, and voice calling support will be rolled in the second half of the year-long trial. Phones are used just like on the ground, with a picocell on board the aircraft bouncing signals off a satellite, and billing is handled by customer's regular carrier, with rates "comparable" to regular international calling. All this, of course, while FAA twiddles its thumbs for the "foreseeable future." Oh well -- at least we've got in-flight WiFi to tide us over.

[Via The Unwired]

Having already brought its in-flight cellphone and internet service to Europe and Australia, Swiss-based OnAir is now giving passengers in China some added in-flight convenience/annoyance of their own, with it finding a partner in the country's Shenzhen Airlines. Much like Boeing's recent ill-fated Connexion experiment, OnAir's service will let you use your own cellphone to make calls or send text messages, with in-flight internet thrown in for good measure (and an added price, no doubt). Those heading to or from China won't be able to whip out their phones and laptops just yet though, with the company saying they only expect the service to be up and running by mid-2009, although they hope to have three demonstration aircraft ready in time for the Beijing Olympics next year.

Those already giddy about their 2008 trip to Down Under should now pick up the phone and do whatever it takes to get on one of Qantas' forthcoming A380s or revamped 747-400s, as both planes will reportedly feature in-flight WiFi and laptop power. As if that weren't enough, the new A380s will even dole out power sockets to those in economy class, and while the in-flight entertainment system may be preferred by your offspring, we know you'll greatly appreciate the internet access and seat-mounted USB / Ethernet ports. Currently, Qantas has yet to divulge exactly how much these luxuries will run you per flight, and while there's still a few months remaining before any passengers are faced with such comforts while flying Qantas, we can't help but yearn for a first-class ticket complete with a 17-inch widescreen LCD. Hit the read link for a few more snapshots and the full rundown of extras.

The FAA's still hemming and hawing over how to handle the rather controversial issue of in-flight mobile phone use, but that hasn't stopped Europe's Airbus from pushing the issue on its home turf. Having already signed agreements with Ryanair and Qantas to provide service through its OnAir subsidiary, the company's been testing equipment to enable the use of GSM handsets for some time; the European Aviation Safety Agency's apparently pretty satisfied with how those tests have been coming along, too, having just blessed the system for commercial use. European travelers worried that this development is going to lead to a rash of incessant yappers on domestic flights can take some solace in the knowledge that flight attendants will be able to "manage" the service, even shutting off voice entirely while leaving SMS and data active. Look for OnAir service to drop initially on short flights in Western Europe, though Airbus intends to take it global -- if the FAA's cool with it, anyway.

[Via WirelessInfo.com]

We've got good news for frequent fliers in Europe and Australia: Qantas and Ryanair (this author's personal fav airline for obvious reason) have announced their respective additions of picocells for in-flight calling, texting, and presumably (eventually) also data. Qantas Boeing 767s and Ryanair 737s will begin rolling out AirBus subsidiary OnAir's cellular satellite uplinked connections to their customers as early as June or July 2007 in Ryanair's case, with full rollout on that fleet expected in 2008. We don't know how much further behind launch Qantas is, but obviously they've stated their intentions to enter the in-flight cell arena, so it's only a matter of time. Too bad that Connexion was scrapped just when things are looking up for future-thinking fliers, but maybe, just maybe we finally can all throw out the ages-old argument of cellphones being dangerous for use in flight.

P.S. -Uh, please don't whip out your phones in flight. You do realize that it's still illegal in the US right? Use your phone on a plane that's not parked or taxiing and the FAA and TSA might disembowel you on the spot for the infraction. Kthxbye.

Read - Qantas
Read - Ryanair

We like, totally forgot to register for the event of the year: the Airline Interior Expo Hamburg. Thankfully CNET's got some pictorial highlights of what it'll be like flying in the future; expect to see some serious tech on the 300 passenger superliner Airbus a350, like LED mood lighting, skyscape projectors, and an "infinity dome"; OnAir, an Airbus subsidiary, showed off their on-board GSM mini-cell (which will be rolled out on Air France in 2007); Digecor had their DigeplayerXT PMP with WiFi, 8-inch screen, 60GB drive, and credit card reader (of course); and our fav was the Contour "Solar" bed / seat / mobile office (pictured) with full entertainment system, power for your bag of devices, and massage feature. Suddenly killing hours in a highly pressurized frigid cabin miles above the Earth's surface seems kind of enticing. Kind of.