87% of consumers say they would prefer mobile phone usage on aeroplanes to be limited to non-voice features

London, England - May 21, 2008 – Nine out of ten consumers agree that mobile phone usage on airplanes should be restricted to silent features only according to a survey by Yahoo!. The results demonstrate that consumers today view their mobile phone as more than just a phone, it’s a computer in their pocket with a wide variety of features. UK consumers surveyed strongly support the ability to access mobile phone features like e-mail and text while in-flight, but made clear their preference for no talking.

In response to the online questionnaire, 49 per cent of the 1,135 respondents cited email as the most useful feature to be able to access on the plane when going on holiday, while in line with the British obsession with the weather, 14 per cent said that checking the weather would be a real benefit. Being able to check connecting flights were on time was also popular with UK travelers.

"There is an increasing debate about the use of mobile phones on aeroplanes," said Geraldine Wilson, vice president and general manager, Connected Life, Yahoo! Europe. "This survey proves the desire of UK consumers to stay connected to their social networks and their interests whilst in- flight, but they don’t want to be forced to sit through a flight listening to the passenger next to them having one way conversations.”

The online survey comes on the heels of recent news that telecom officials in 20 European Union countries have given airlines approval to develop and offer mobile phone services.

Yahoo! offers a variety of award-winning mobile services that connect consumers to the people, information and passions that matter to them no matter where they are. The new Yahoo! Mobile Homepage, coming soon to the UK, is a highly-personalized starting point for consumers on the mobile Internet. Yahoo! oneSearch is a search experience designed specifically for mobile that gives consumers access to instant answers and relevant results. Yahoo! Go 3.0 is Yahoo!’s flagship mobile Internet experience that integrates key Yahoo! services such as mail, news and finance as well as an ever-growing selection of third party widgets that unlock the true power of the mobile Internet. To see what you can do on your phone, please visit http://uk.mobile.yahoo.com