My synthesis

British Airways to allow in-flight texting

The airline will limit the service to twice-daily flights between London City Airport and New York’s JFK that are due to start in September. The all-business class route is flown by a narrow-body Airbus A318 aircraft that must make a stop in Ireland on the westbound leg. The configuration will allow for just 32 seats.

(Credit:Airbus)

Other airlines have experimented with in-flight cell phone use, including Ryanair, Qantas, Air France, and Emirates. Only Emirates allows voice calls onboard, but other airlines, British Airways included, say they might permit in-flight talking, depending on passenger feedback.

(Source: Daily Telegraph via PhoneSccop)

British Airways didn’t disclose pricing for the service, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it was included in the price of the business-class ticket. Though avoiding the trek to Heathrow may attract busy financial titans shuttling between The City and Wall Street, the price of a ticket is not expected to be cheap.

British Airways announced this week that it would initiate limited cell phone use on an upcoming route between London and New York City. Voice calls will not be permitted, but passengers will be allowed to send and receive text messages and e-mails.

With 12 seconds left, GB seemed to have weathered the storm as Latvia failed to punish GB’s repeated failures to score.

But after Kristaps Valters levelled the game 84-84 with a three-pointer, GB gave the ball away and allowed Kristaps Janicenoks to score the winning basket.

Nick George and Robert Archibald hit 17 points each for GB and Andy Betts added 16 as GB found their scoring touch.

“We had it won several times,” said GB coach Chris Finch. “I’ll take the responsibility – down the stretch you’ve got to give the guys a better play to win it and get a better shot off.”

After six games in an arduous eight days in London and Seville, the team had clearly benefited from three days on the practice court.

It has been a fantastically successful Olympics for Team GB, and as I’ve watched the cyclists and the sailors enjoying the limelight, I suppose I cannot help reflect on the disappointment that GB’s six archers will be returning home empty-handed.

I think the reason Archery GB has been so flat is that expectations were so high, and it is to the credit of our archers that that was so. Alison Williamson, Alan Wills et al have all performed so well on the international stage over the past four years that observers such as myself started to become too confident.

It all started with a bronze for Alison at Athens in 2004, and a fourth place finish for Larry Godfrey. Since then, they have won a number of medals at various international competitions, ranging from world and European championships, to World Cup tournaments. And not for nothing are our women’s team ranked second in the world, and the men fifth.