Virgin Australia, Qantas launch inflight Wi-Fi services

Virgin Australia flyers suffering online FOMO (fear of missing out) can now stay connected on its international flights to the US, as the airline finally flicks the switch on inflight Wi-Fi.

Love it or loathe it, the airline's five Boeing 777s, which fly from east coast Australia to west coast USA, have now been fitted with Wi-Fi, which will cost $11.99 for the duration of the flight, which takes 13.5 hours from Sydney to LA, and 14.5 hours from Melbourne.

The airline's A330s, which fly to Hong Kong and between Perth and the eastern seaboard, will have Wi-Fi by early 2019.

Meanwhile, Qantas has installed Wi-Fi on its first Airbus A330 and is currently testing it out.

By the end of this month Qantas will have Wi-Fi on two domestic A330s and half its fleet of 70 Boeing 737s. Qantas is promising free Wi-Fi for passengers at speeds of up to 12mbps.

Qantas aims to have 75 per cent of its domestic fleet equipped with Wi-Fi by the end of the year, with remaining aircraft getting the technology in 2019.

While passengers can stream content on both Virgin and Qantas, Skype and FaceTime won't be available, sparing us the inevitable conversation opener, "Can you hear me? I'm on the plaaaane."