Qantas announces major change for passengers on overseas flights

Australian airline Qantas has announced a major change for passengers flying overseas — and the best bit is that it won’t cost you a cent.

Gone are the days of switching your phone off and enjoying a little tech-free time at 30,000 feet.

Because with in-flight Wi-Fi, even passengers on long haul flights to every corner of the world can stay connected to their emails and socials around the clock.

And in welcome news amid the cost-of-living crisis, Australian airline Qantas will make jumping on Wi-Fi a whole lot easier — and cheaper — for overseas passengers.

Overseas Qantas flyers will have a new ‘free’ addition on board by the end of the year.

The airline has announced that it will extend its ‘fast and free’ Wi-Fi to its international services by the end of this year.

While some international carriers servicing Australian passengers already have Wi-Fi capabilities on international flights, Qantas’ introduction of the service to their overseas fleet had been “deferred” until global satellite technology was able to deliver a similar quality connection that Qantas customers have when travelling domestically.

Qantas will xtend its ‘fast and free’ Wi-Fi to its international services by the end of this year. Picture: iStock

The airline said that the service will be available to travellers heading to Asia first, followed by trans-Tasman and Pacific flights. Wi-Fi on board flights to Europe will be closer to the latter half of 2026.

Qantas said the aircraft that will cater for the ‘fast and free’ network include the A330, 787 and A380, with the new service tapping into global broadband service provider, Viasat.

The speed of the internet, according to Qantas, will give passengers on international flights the ability to stream movies, TV shows, news bulletins and even live sports with ease and no interruption.

Gone are the days of switching off your device and being tech free while at 30,000 feet.

The announcement comes just weeks after the airline made sweeping changes to the group’s frequent flyer program.

Earlier this month, Qantas announced its “biggest ever” change to the program, in an upheaval to address “ongoing pain points” for millions of members of the lucrative program.

The announcement revealed the start of Classic Plus Flight Rewards, a program designed to provide a mid-range option between the existing Classic and Points Pay Plus rewards options. As a result, frequent flyers will now get access to more than 20 million seats on international flights as part of a $100 million expansion of the loyalty program.

International passengers will have access to Qantas’ ‘fast and free’ Wi-Fi service later this year. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images.

In the 24-hours following the announcement — the number of points used was more than triple the average for a typical day.

It is understood London, Singapore, Tokyo, Queenstown, and Los Angeles were the most popular destinations booked, with almost 50 per cent of total Classic Plus reward seat bookings for travel in premium cabins.