The promise of online Wi-Fi has mostly eluded Australians. There have been trials, more trials and even tests, but so far no airline has had the kahunas to officially launch the service. Until now…

Today, Emirates has announced that it would be partnering with OnAir to offer in-flight Wi-Fi for its A380 flights within Australian airspace. This announcement is timed perfectly to coincide with the October 2 launch of its new Melbourne-Auckland-Dubai route.

While it’s still a long way from being able to Facebook all your friends (and check EFTM) whenever you hit the air, it’s still a really positive step for in-flight entertainment in this country.

It won’t be cheap though. Prices start at $US7.50 for 5MB of data, and range up to $US25 for 100MB, with a $US15 25MB option thrown in the middle there.

Still for business travellers needing to send an important email or Facebook junkies unable to go for a few hours without Liking their own status, this is an awesome development.

Price: From $US7.50
Web: Emirates