Qantas switches on free international WiFi

Qantas will launch free WIFi on flights to Asia by the end of this month as the airline races to catch up to the many competitors which already travellers remain connected above the clouds. First to come online will be the Airbus A330 jets which mainly fly into South-East Asia, with selected routes active by late March. Satellite coverage across the Tasman to New Zealand will become available from mid-year. Most of Qantas' domestic fleet – including Boeing 737s, Airbus A220s and A330s – is already equipped for the Australias NBN Sky Muster satellite network, with a nation-wide coverage footprint. So whenever those planes are assigned to international routes the SkyMuster system provides WiFi only while the aircraft are over Australia; once your flight leaves the Australian coastline behind, you can wave goodbye to WiFi. Qantas is now in the process of upgrading this sky-high WiFi service through its partner Viasat, to tap into what Viasat describes as “capacity from various owned and partner satellites in the region.”<br/>