Any time frame on when WiFi will appear on Qantas 787s long haul?

[moa999]

Launch of ViaSat3 F2 is next up for ULA and will be given a date any day now.

Atlas V ViaSat-3 F2

www.ulalaunch.com

 

[milehighclub]

ZNJ is due home this week from HKG and will be the first 787 with Wifi. Wifi is also now available across the pacific (on A330 to HNL and BNE/LAX and anything 787 if you get ZNJ).

 

[moa999]

Launch of ViaSat3 F2 is next up for ULA and will be given a date any day now.

Atlas V ViaSat-3 F2

www.ulalaunch.com

First launch window now scheduled.
Between 1.36pm and 2.20pm on Tue Nov 4 (AEST) - or just before the race that stops the nation.

 

[moa999]

And VH-ZNJ back into SYD this morning.

 

[serfty]

On QF22 now ...

787 Wifi exists

 

[ozstamps]

As noted had planned to book Sydney-Santiago Chile paid Biz recently for mid 2026 as fares were pretty decent and was about to press GO and checked to see if the Qantas 787s would have Wi-Fi by then and was advised here 'not very likely at all'

It is 2026 for goodness sakes, not 2016.

12 or 13 hours with no planned Wi-Fi was a deal breaker, as I use it most of each flight, and we booked to Europe on SQ.

QF clearly backed the wrong technology.

 

[elanshin]

As noted had planned to book Sydney-Santiago Chile paid Biz recently for mid 2026 as fares were pretty decent and was about to press GO and checked to see if the Qantas 787s would have Wi-Fi by then and was advised here 'not very likely at all'

It is 2026 for goodness sakes, not 2016.

12 or 13 hours with no planned Wi-Fi was a deal breaker, as I use it most of each flight, and we booked to Europe on SQ.

QF clearly backed the wrong technology.

Slightly off topic, but if wifi is this important, why SQ and not QR? (or EK soon). SQ is also very outdated for 2025/2026. I was struggling to send messages a couple of weeks ago on my way back to Aus. It sometimes works ok, sometimes it struggles mightily and likely because it's free for all users on the plane now.

Starlink is legitimately a game-changer and probably biggest disrupter in the aviation sector in the last decade.

 

[ozstamps]

I fly SQ Business class a few times a year and their Wi-Fi has always worked perfectly - for me at least. Often use it for full flights.

For me personally, most things at SQ work perfectly. They are Gold Standard IMHO.

 

[elanshin]

I fly SQ Business class a few times a year and their Wi-Fi has always worked perfectly - for me at least. Often use it for full flights.

For me personally, most things at SQ work perfectly. They are Gold Standard IMHO.

Try QR some time. I think it'll blow your mind away. Gate to gate this was what I had. (EK soon too, they're refitting 14 planes a month with starlink).

 

[ozstamps]

I've never bothered to fixatate on some speed metric.

If I can surf the web, and send emails, and type on Bulletin Boards, I am more than happy. For about 10 years most real airlines have offered this option. No idea what speed it was offered at, but at least it worked.

Perhaps if I was competing in some Computer Gaming Championships in flight etc, speed might matter.

One cannot do ANY of that on many Qantas long hauls even in 2026 - totally bizarre.

 

[AuSammy]

Slightly off topic, but if wifi is this important, why SQ and not QR? (or EK soon). SQ is also very outdated for 2025/2026. I was struggling to send messages a couple of weeks ago on my way back to Aus. It sometimes works ok, sometimes it struggles mightily and likely because it's free for all users on the plane now.

Starlink is legitimately a game-changer and probably biggest disrupter in the aviation sector in the last decade.

Except 4 flights on QR earlier this year to Europe and back - Zero working Wifi on three flights.

 

[ozstamps]

Wow. THAT is not any recommendation.

At ~$10,000 a ticket in Biz I'd be furious.

 

[elanshin]

Except 4 flights on QR earlier this year to Europe and back - Zero working Wifi on three flights.

It would depend on when you took them. They're refitting more and more planes with starlink every month. I believe they achieved all their 777's last month and are doing they're going through their a350s fairly rapidly too. A380 i believe had some technical issues, but now that starlink has EK on board, the a380 problems should be conquered pretty quickly too.

 

[AuSammy]

It would depend on when you took them. They're refitting more and more planes with starlink every month. I believe they achieved all their 777's last month and are doing they're going through their a350s fairly rapidly too. A380 i believe had some technical issues, but now that starlink has EK on board, the a380 problems should be conquered pretty quickly too.

Sep/Oct

 

[RooFlyer]

Wow. THAT is not any recommendation.

At ~$10,000 a ticket in Biz I'd be furious.

I don't pay half that to get to Europe in J on QR, via award ticket to SIN or BKK.

 

[SYD]

I don't pay half that to get to Europe in J on QR, via award ticket to SIN or BKK.

Cheaper via CGK (even after eVOA and dirt cheap hotels) but it’s still CGK….

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I've never bothered to fixatate on some speed metric.

If I can surf the web, and send emails, and type on Bulletin Boards, I am more than happy. For about 10 years most real airlines have offered this option. No idea what speed it was offered at, but at least it worked.

Perhaps if I was competing in some Computer Gaming Championships in flight etc, speed might matter.

One cannot do ANY of that on many Qantas long hauls even in 2026 - totally bizarre.

I don’t like cheap and cheerful. I’d rather have fast and free wifi, which is what qantas is going to deliver. And no fiddling around having to enter a FF number just to access it.

Sure, plenty airlines have wifi, but up to AUD100 for the flight on some airlines? Not for me.

And even with SQ there’s no wifi on most of their aircraft over India, Iran and Turkey. A significant part of the flight to Europe.

And of course once we have this, it only takes one passenger to decide they want face time calls or watching videos without earphones. Qantas at least bans that, and you can rely on them doing so. Same can’t be said for some other airlines.

 

[serfty]

On QF22 now ...

787 Wifi exists

View attachment 485596

Thw WiFi was patchy and connected for about two thirds of the time when I tried to use it. It was a 15 hour flight and i was trying to sleep for about 9 of those.

When it did work it was wierd. To fire it up you went through the paspaly pearls ad and then it would say connected but then put an eternal spinning wheel, never logically completing the connection ... but at that point you could open browsers and apps and use web based tools.

 

[RooFlyer]

And even with SQ there’s no wifi on most of their aircraft over India, Iran and Turkey. A significant part of the flight to Europe.

Will Qantas have coverage over those? I thought for India at least it was a condition of over-flight (for some reason).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Will Qantas have coverage over those? I thought for India at least it was a condition of over-flight (for some reason).

That might be right! But other than the QF1/2, do any other QF flights overfly India? I guess BLR and DEL… but you’d only be missing out for the last hour of the flight there.