Qantas domestic flights that have WiFi onboard will soon be offering Foxtel, Neflix and Spotify to passengers.
Speeds of up to ten times faster than conventional inflight WiFi will stream audio and video content onboard the national carrier’s domestic fleet of Boeing 737s and Airbus A330s from mid-year.
The improved streaming is made possible through a satellite connection service provided by nbn Sky Muster, which uses idle data capacity that projects its signal to the aircraft as it flies through one of Sky Muster’s 101 spot beams across the country.
Netflix, Foxtel and Spotify are paid subscription services but customers will access them for free onboard Qantas domestic flights as well as after their flight.
With Foxtel, three days free access will be offered via its app with no subscription required. Netflix will offer a 30-day free trial for new customers while existing ones need only login at no extra charge, while Spotify will offer a similar deal for access to its Premium music service.
Qantas Group Executive of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Olivia Wirth commented, “We know that email, online shopping and general web browsing will be popular uses when we switch on Wi-Fi, but what a lot of people relish about flying is being able to catch up on their favourite TV shows or watch movies they didn’t get to see at the cinema."
Onboard, passengers will be able to access the services by logging on to Qantas’ inflight WiFi on their personal devices which will arrive on a landing page offering a range of options. From here, customers can choose the entertainment service they wish to access as well as real-time flight data.
Qantas is looking to extend its WiFi services and content onto its international and regional fleets, with discussions already underway with content partners and service suppliers.
