Air France tests phone service

Paris: Air France says it has launched a trial of full in-flight mobile phone services on selected European routes, allowing travellers to chat mid-air.

According to the airline, the move follows positive feedback from sms and email testing. A company official said the airline would assess feedback and decide whether to revert to a data-only service, if they find passengers become irritated.

The service is provided by Airbus unit OnAir, an in-flight communications specialist, and will be activated above 3,000-meter (9,800-feet) altitudes.

The news comes after Emirates recently launched an in-flight mobile phone service.