China’s civil aviation sector set to enter 'mobile era'

China's civil aviation industry is set to enter into the "mobile era" in 2018, as five more airlines announced their timetables to allow the use of mobile devices in the air, following suit of Hainan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

The five carriers, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Air, Shandong Airlines, Spring Airlines and Lucky Air, will allow passengers to use their cell phones on planes, in flight mode, from their scheduled dates.

However, a passenger surnamed Liu on a China Eastern Airlines flight complained on Thursday about the low Wi-Fi speed onboard. The man found it barely possible to use WeChat, or send a text, and he spent 5-10 minutes to send a photo. Attendants of the flight MU5137 from Shanghai to Beijing said the Wi-Fi was accessible to only about 100 passengers.