Skyhigh Wi-Fi

Journalist Jeremy Gutsche has knocked up an in-flight Wi-Fi bill that would knock you flat - $1200 on a 12-hour flight from London to Singapore on Singapore Airlines.

Writing in trendhunter.com Mr Gutsche explained: “I had an otherwise enjoyable flight, but the sticker shock of being gouged $1200 made me feel like I was deplaning from Total Bastard Airlines.”

Mr Gutsche explained……“so what does it take to rack up $1200 of internet use? In my case, just 155 page views, mostly to my email. I know this because for the first time I counted up my page views to see where all the dollars went. I wish I could blame an addiction to NetFlix or some intellectual documentary that made me $1200 smarter. However, the Singapore Airlines internet was painfully slow, so videos would be impossible and that means I didn’t get any smarter… except about how to charge a lot of money for stuff. I did learn that.”

While Singapore Airlines facilitates the service it is actually supplied by Onair and it charges standard global roaming rates.

Many travellers have found to their dismay - and horror - that international roaming rates can be extremely expensive for mobile or cell phones.

Travellers, whether on the ground or in the air, need to check very carefully the telecom package they are on.