Qantas ditches in-flight connectivity

Fliers on Australia's national carrier can keep enjoying long-haul as the last bastion of an unconnected life, after Qantas decided to axe its nine month old in-flight wi-fi service.

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the service offered on six of the carrier’s A-380s flying between LA and London enjoyed an uptake of less than five percent.  

"Most of our A380 services operate at night and so another dampener on demand was the fact people preferred to sleep than surf the web," a spokesman said.

The trial was initially offered free for business and first travellers. The carrier subsequently offered in-flight packages for between $12.90 and $39.90 for downloads of up to 35 megabytes.

David Flynn, editor of Australian Business Traveller told iTnews he felt it was a savvy move on the part of the carrier.

“They’ve just introduced refinements such as doonas into international business class,” he said. “What the free wi-fi trial shows is that business travellers would prefer a better sleep than being connected in-flight.”

Two airlines, Singapore and Emirates, currently offer wi-fi in the clouds. Emirates’ own research found three quarters of all in-flight net use is during the 'awake' hours of the flight. 

Would you rather sleep or surf whilst flying internationally? Or was the price point the problem? We'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments field below.