Qantas Launches In-Flight Wi-Fi Between Australia and Los Angeles

While in-flight Wi-Fi has been available on planes flying over land for some time, international—and specifically overseas—Wi-Fi has been a bit more difficult to manage.

But this week, six of Qantas' A380 planes turned on Wi-Fi access points and a satellite Internet connection to beam signals back to the ground. Australian Business Traveller is reporting that the trial will run through to the beginning of May on A380 flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles.

Qantas says that in-flight Internet will initially be available to first and business class, before being extended to premium economy and economy passengers. Passengers will be able to connect their smartphone, tablet or laptop to the A380's internal wireless network. The system will support regular Web browsing, email and apps but VoIP services such as Skype will be blocked, as will mobile phone calls. Following the trial, Qantas will assess opportunities for the long-term application of internet capabilities across its A380 fleet.