Qantas takes-off with free Wi-Fi but you'll likely have to wait

Australia's most popular airline is taking off with technology that offers passengers free Wi-Fi on domestic flights, but anyone with flights booked may be disappointed.

Following months of "performance testing" with multiple global broadband services, Qantas is today rolling out Wi-Fi in beta mode on one Boeing 737.

Qantas will gradually install Wi-Fi technology to a further 80 Airbus 330s and Boeing 737s by the end of 2018, while they continue to "fine-tune" the service.

Up to 15,000 customers per month will trial the beta Wi-Fi service, before it is rolled out to over 15 million domestic passengers per year.

The airline is boasting Internet speeds that will be up to 10 times faster than conventional on-board WiFi, which they say will allow passengers to stream video content.

"Inflight Wi-Fi has been on our wish list for quite a while, but the sheer size of Australia meant it was hard to offer a service that was fast and reliable," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said.

"The technology we’re using on-board this 737 is a generation ahead of what most airlines use," he said.

"That's why we've installed it on one aircraft for the first few months until we’ve finished fine tuning and are ready to roll out to the rest of the domestic fleet."

Qantas said the Wi-Fi technology will also be used to help deliver real-time weather information to pilots, to help them "steer clear of turbulence".

They are also in discussions with technology companies to expand its Internet service to international flights in the future.