Routehappy: Australian Airlines to Soon Offer In-Flight Wi-Fi

17th Jan 2016

If there is one thing that passengers are missing on international flights with Australian airlines such as Qantas and Virgin Australia, it is most certainly the lack of in-flight Wi-Fi. The carriers have so far been reluctant to include Wi-Fi on their international flights, citing slow satellite speeds, low passenger interest, as well as competing technologies as some of the reasons for their lack of action.

This could all soon change and Qantas and Virgin Australia might join American, Delta and United in offering in-flight Wi-Fi on their international flights, said Jason Rabinowitz of Routehappy.

Rabinowitz, who is a data manager at Routehappy explained that there are several reasons why this is likely to happen, including pressure from partners, passenger interest and the fact their competitors are already doing it.

Rabinowitz said:

"American, Delta and United now offer Wi-Fi on nearly all flights from Australia to the United States, but neither Qantas nor Virgin Australia do. At some point, passenger demand is going to force them to offer it."

The two carriers (Qantas and Virgin Australia) have not ruled out the option to get Wi-Fi on their flights. They are, right now, exploring options, as they say.

According to Rabinowitz, all it will take is one airline to make the first move and the others will follow its example.

The only problem, as he said, is that none are willing to be that trail-blazer. This only means that it may that a while for passengers on Qantas and Virgin Australia international flights to enjoy in-flight Wi-Fi.

As a recently published report from Routehappy states, a total of 60 airline companies around the world offer Wi-Fi to passengers during the flight. Many, such as Delta, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa, are already making plans and preparations to upgrade to high-speed Internet.