Airline plans to rent Apple iPads on flights

Would you rent an Apple iPad on a flight? An Australian airline thinks so. JetStar, a low-cost airline, will launch a trial to rent an iPad on flights for $10 a pop.

ZDNet Australia reports that JetStar will launch a pilot in June for its rent-an-iPad efforts. The iPads will come with movies, TV shows, e-books, games and other goodies.

With airlines trying to snare every last dime out of fliers with additional fees, iPad rentals could be a stroke of genius. First you rent the iPad for $10. Then you charge for the Wi-Fi access at another $10.

The rented iPad efforts could also be a boon for Apple. Plenty of folks will try an iPad so they get a nice test drive. Meanwhile, Apple could sell iPads to fleets much like automakers do with rental cars.

There's really only one-hangup: All those fingerprints from strangers could be a germaphobe's nightmare.