Virgin Australia promising inflight Wi-Fi by the middle of next year

Virgin Australia is planning to kit out its fleet with inflight Wi-Fi by the middle of 2017, providing both domestic and international travellers with sky high internet access. Inflight Wi-Fi equipment will be available in Boeing 737-800, Boeing 777, and Airbus A330 aircraft.

"Inflight Wi-Fi has the potential to transform air travel as we know it," said Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive John Borghetti. "As well as providing access to email and social media, inflight Wi-Fi will improve the travel experience by providing guests with up-to-date information about connecting flights and their travel plans."

Virgin has yet to confirm whether or not will charge for its inflight Wi-Fi, but will provide further details about the service before the end of the year.

Earlier this year, rival airline Qantas announced that it will retrofit its domestic fleet with inflight Wi-Fi, with a full deployment scheduled to commence in early 2017. Qantas is partnering with broadband service provider ViaSat for the rollout, and expects travellers to have access to speeds as fast as 20Mbps per person. Notably, Qantas won't charge passengers for access to its inflight Wi-Fi.