Qantas begins Wi-Fi trial on international flights

Australia’s flag carrier Qantas recently announced it has started Wi-Fi trial on international Qantas flights. The airline stated that currently six of its Airbus A380 aircraft flying between Australia and US have been configured to offer Wi-Fi on an 8-week trial.

The airline disclosed that only passengers in first and business class cabins will get the opportunity to try out the OnAir Wi-Fi. After the completion of two-month trial, the airline will consider the long-term application of internet capabilities across its A380 fleet.

The premium cabin (first and business class) passengers will be allowed to use the internet for free during the trial period.

Qantas and its Wi-Fi service provider OnAir have already started assessing on how much to charge for the service, once the trials are successful.

Alison Webster, Qantas Executive Manager Customer Experience, said that the passengers will get the opportunity to access the internet in exactly the same way as a terrestrial Wi-Fi hotspot in which customers pay with their credit card and surf the internet, including using email, during the eight-week trial.

Qantas is also working with aircraft based entertainment, which can be accessed through Wi-Fi. The new service will be called Q Streaming. This will allow passengers to wirelessly connect to computers on the aircraft to access an array of in-flight entertainment options.