Qantas draws Virgin into Wi-Fi war

The battle over the domestic aviation market might have quieted down over the past 2 years but Qantas and Virgin Australia remain on the hunt to gain an edge, particularly when it comes to business travel. Cash-rich Qantas is in a far better financial position than the relatively cash-strapped Virgin to fund a new assault on the lucrative corporate and govt market. And with Qantas poised to offer free, high-speed Wi-Fi, even in economy class, from 2017 Virgin would appear to be on the back foot. Rather than promising to beat Qantas to market given the carrier won't begin trials for months and its access to the national broadband network is not exclusive, for now Virgin appears to be quietly questioning whether there is demand for Wi-Fi on domestic flights and pondering whether international isn't a better place to start. <br/>