Qantas has partnered with global broadband service provider ViaSat to provide its customers on domestic flights with in-flight wifi starting next year.
According to the Australian carrier’s chief executive Alan Joyce, the new service will be 10 times faster than conventional onboard wifi, giving customers the ability to stream movies, TV shows and other entertainment content on domestic flights.
“This service will give Qantas customers download speeds in the air similar to what they’re used to on the ground,” noted Joyce.
“You won’t be limited to checking your email or Facebook – it’s going to be about watching the football live, streaming your favourite TV show or movie, catching up on the latest Youtube videos, or shopping online.”
Trials of the in-flight wifi service is expected to begin in late 2016 on a single Qantas B737 aircraft. A full rollout across Qantas Domestic’s fleet of A330s and B737s is planned from early 2017.
Perhaps the most welcoming part of the announcement is that the in-flight wifi service will be offered to customers for free, which means that the higher bandwidth speeds will be particularly useful.
“We connect more passengers per flight with higher speeds and more bandwidth per passenger than any other service – reaching speeds up to 20 Mbps per person and enough total bandwidth to support virtually any activity including streaming live or on-demand video and music,” said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat’s chairman and chief executive.
For more information, visit qantas.com.au
Clement Huang
