From hospitals to porn and music to menus, the iPad has answered the call to work around the world in a surprising number of ways. Now the budget wing of Australia’s Qantas Airways is eyeing the Apple tablet for their long-haul inflight entertainment needs.

Sydney Morning Herald reports that Qantas subsidiary Jetstar, following successful month-long inflight trial, is negotiating with Apple for thousands of iPads.

“For a domestic traveller it works, for an international traveller we think it’ll work too,” said Simon Westaway, spokesman, Jetstar. “We want a 2010 and beyond solution to portable inflight entertainment … We think it’ll be our most popular decision yet in terms of inflight entertainment.”

See the iPad at work
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— NSFW: Some real [hardcore] iPad porn

Jetstar believes the iPad, which was customer tested on the airline’s East-West Coast flights, is an ideal choice to replace the airline’s portable video devices, which show movies, television, music videos and destination guides.

It’s been estimated that Apple has sold 200,000 iPads in Australia since the device went on sale there in May.