Qantas opens up SMS and email for Aussie flyers

Just days after Emirates announced plans to offer in-flight mobile connectivity, Qantas has revealed its going ahead with a plan to provide passengers with SMS and e-mail functionality on planes, also using Aeromobile kit.

The launch follows a trial which finished earlier this year. During 2008, Qantas will start rolling out the service on some domestic B767-300 and A330-200 aircraft. Aussie flyers wanting to use the service will need either a roaming-equipped GSM mobile for texting or a GPRS BlackBerry for email – voice calls aren’t on the cards.

No word again on the pricing or where the service will be used. It’s interesting that Qantas is only offering the service on inter-Australia flights – you’d think that longer haul trips would be more likely to induce the sort of boredom texting relieves. I wonder if it’s a regulatory issue?