Cellphones on a Plane

It's official - your last solid excuse for avoiding annoying work-related calls has just gone out the window. The era of cellphones on planes is here.

The European Union approved on-board mobile services today, after some months of debate. Passengers may be able to make and receive calls through a special base station beginning sometime this year, reports the AP. Air France has already begun trial services, and British Midland Airways, TAP, and Ryanair plan on following suit later this year. Lufthansa, however, says no way - people don't want to be bothered. The United States still bans mobile devices on planes because of worries about disruption of flight instruments.

In-flight call pricing, to be monitored by the European Commission, has the potential to be as high as the cruising altitude of a 747. Hopefully that will keep calls short and sweet, as the only thing worse than being stuck in economy class for a long-haul flight is being stuck in economy class for a long-haul flight next to someone yammering away about his divorce three inches from your ear.

--Emily Matchar