Qantas Airways says no to in-flight Wi-Fi after failed trial

Australia’s national flag carrier Qantas Airways recently announced that it won’t go in for in-flight Wi-Fi on its long-haul aircrafts. The airline in a statement said that in-flight Wi-Fi on long-haul Qantas Airways flights had been unsuccessful during the trial.

The airline said that because of the poor take up of the in-flight Wi-Fi service during a recent trial it has now decided not to offer internet connectivity on its latest aircrafts.

The airline held an eight-month trial on the Airbus A380 aircraft on selected Qantas Airways flights to Los Angeles and London. During the trial the passengers were offered access to internet and email on their own hand-held devices and laptops.

Later on, the airline started charging for the in-flight Wi-Fi service. The passengers booking Qantas Airways flights tickets and flying to these destinations were being charged for internet service in line with most of its full-service competitors. The airline however said that the average take up rate of the service was less than 5 percent of passengers and was therefore deemed to be quite expensive in terms of the high cost of the technology.