Qantas Doubles Down iOS, Launches iPad-Based In-Flight Entertainment System
iPads will soon replace the current entertainment options aboard Qantas B767 aircraft.
Earlier this week, we reported on the move by Australian airline Qantas to swap out the 1,300 BlackBerries used by its staff (and the related infrastructure) in favor of iPhones. It looks like Qantas is doubling down on Apple and iOS. The airline also announced this week that it will begin offering streaming entertainment on iPads across all the planes in its fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft.
Qantas is launching the new service, which it has dubbed QStreaming, following a successful trial of the service earlier this year.
The QStreaming service will offer every business and economy passengers an iPad connected to a in-flight streaming entertainment system. The system will be powered by Panasonic’s eXW system and will offer passengers access to more than 200 hours worth of on-demand programming.
Qantas Domestic CEO Lyell Strambi noted in a statement that Qantas was the first airline in the world to offer passengers a Wi-Fi based streaming entertainment with its initial trial earlier this year.
"Our customers were the first in the world to experience the ground-breaking wi-fi entertainment technology and we received great feedback from our customers during the trial this year.
QStreaming will be available free of charge to all our passengers across the B767 fleet.
We’re now looking at ways to evolve this technology platform even further with our partner Panasonic to bring new standards of in-flight entertainment to our customers."
According to ZDNet, Qantas currently has 23 Boeing 767 planes in its fleet. The planes range between 229 and 254 seats depending on configuration. That means Qantas will be purchasing 5,000+ iPads as part of the new entertainment system.
The QStreaming service will begin rolling out to commercial flights during the fourth quarter of this year.
In addition the passenger entertainment Qantas also announced recently that it plans to follow in the footsteps of several other airlines and replace pilot flight bags with iPads. That roll out, which will begin in September on the airline’s fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, involves a purchase of 2,200 iPads.
7-20-12
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