Transatlantic passengers on Aer Lingus flights who leave their phone on during their journey are being hit with huge bills.
The charges are being imposed even when the passenger does not use the phone.
According to the Irish Times, one passenger was hit with a bill for $300 after forgetting to turn on flight mode.
AT&T told the paper the antennas can “automatically connect with phones that are not in flight mode and run up charges – even when the phones are not in use”.
They said the charges were racked up by “antennas installed on the plane that operate outside an unlimited international roaming plan”.
An Aer Lingus spokeswoman said the airline was not making money from it and said: “For safety reasons, before every flight, Aer Lingus cabin crew advise guests to switch their phones to airplane mode.”
