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Passengers on Qantas will be the first in the world to have in-flight entertainment streamed wirelessly to tablet devices in a trial announced by the airline.<\/p>\n
To be rolled out from the end of October on one Boeing 767-300 flying domestic routes, the six-week test will see Qantas\u2019s current entertainment programme broadcast to a tablet supplied by the airline.<\/p>\n
The brand of tablet is yet to be confirmed, but Qantas said Apple\u2019s popular iPad was among the models being considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cQ Streaming\u201d will be made available to passengers for viewing on their own tablet, laptop or smartphone later in the trial and would be a key part of the scheme if ultimately adopted, Qantas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very pleased to be the first airline in the world to trial this wireless streaming product,\u201d said Alison Webster, the airline\u2019s customer experience manager.<\/p>\n
It will be assessed for wider roll-out both domestically and internationally once the trial is complete, she added, with supplied tablets to be specially configured not to work outside the aircraft if stolen.<\/p>\n
The plan could also see a \u201cplay-back\u201d option to allow passengers who did not finish watching a programme on their own device before landing to complete their viewing, even after leaving the aircraft.<\/p>\n
Replacing seat-back entertainment systems with tablets offered significant fuel efficiencies due to the weight saving, she added \u2014 an important consideration as fuel prices rocket and Australia debates a pollution tax.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all focused on fuel burn being environmentally friendly and we have huge commitments to sustainability targets,\u201d Webster said.<\/p>\n
American Airlines has launched a similar programme with Samsung\u2019s Galaxy tablet for first and business class domestic passengers, but content is pre-loaded rather than streamed direct.<\/p>\n
Budget Qantas offshoot Jetstar already offers iPads for rent on some of its flights — and usage is allowed during take-off and landing while other devices must be powered down.<\/p>\n