“Australia’s flagship carrier Qantas will replace its entire fleet of BlackBerry devices with Apple iPhones, a move that presents more headaches for struggling handset maker Research In Motion,” Fran Foo reports for The Australian. “Qantas has a total of 1300 BlackBerrys in a variety of models. Dropping BlackBerry could save the airline millions of dollars a year. Airline crew will be among the first staff to use iPhones, Qantas chief information officer Paul Jones told The Australian.”

“‘There has been strong demand from Qantas employees for the iPhone, with a large majority of respondents to a recent survey indicating that this is their preferred smartphone option,’” Mr Jones said. ‘The iPhone offers a user-friendly interface and simple access to emails, contacts and calendars, as well as meeting all Qantas’s security requirements,’” Foo reports.

“Qantas is not the only big brand in Australia to hang up on BlackBerry. In January The Australian reported that IBM Australia planned stop purchasing BlackBerrys for corporate use,” Foo reports. “The move could save IBM up to $1.4 million a year, based on 500 BlackBerry users… RIM’s BlackBerry was once de rigueur but Apple’s iPhone has stolen its thunder thanks to its easy-to-use touchscreen and sleek design.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Buh-bye, beleaguered RIM.

[Attribution: Cult of Mac. Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers "Brawndo Drinker" and "Lava_Head_UK" for the heads up.]