Virgin Atlantic Airlines Allowing Passengers To Use Cell Phones During Flights

If you thought airline passengers were already too annoying, you're not going to like what this airline is planning.

Britain's Virgin Atlantic airlines has announced that it will now allow its passengers to make cell phone calls in mid-flight. Passengers will also be allowed to send text messages, read E-mails, and access the web on flights from London to New York.

The new service will be available in all cabins of the airline's new Airbus A330-300 aircraft and refitted Boeing 747s.

It will target business travelers and be limited to just six users at a time.

"The service is intended for use in exceptional situations, when passengers need to send an SMS, make a quick call, or access an e-mail on a Blackberry," the airline said in a written statement.

By the end of 2012, the system will be available on nearly 20 Virgin Atlantic aircraft.

Passengers will not be permitted to use their phones during take-off or landing, or within 250 feet of American airspace.

I never did buy that "using your phone on a plane will cause it to crash" myth, and this new rule proves it. But that's not what worries me. You know that guy in the elevator who talks way too loud and will not get off his cell phone for anything? Imagine being stuck on a 10-hour flight with him. I can only imagine the headaches and fights this new rule is going to cause for Virgin Atlantic.