Qantas domestc passengers will soon have access to Foxtel, Netflix and Spotify on their flights. The services are set to be delivered through new internet connectivity currently be trialled.
Internet Connectivity
While Q-Streaming has provided onboard Wi-Fi, there is no actual Internet connectivity. As a result, passengers have been limited to whatever content Qantas has provided on board.
Qantas has been working with its partners to deliver Internet connectivity to its Domestic fleet. Overall, internet connectivity is to be delivered to Qantas aircraft through the nbn’s SkyMuster satellites.
Late last year, Qantas installed equipment on one aircraft to test the system. It is currently expected that this will be made available to customers in late Feburary. The rest of the airline’s fleet of domestic Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft is ecpected to be fitted out with the new quipment from mid-2017 onwards.
Content
Qantas will be offering the inflight Wi-Fi and internet connectivty on a complimentary basis as part of the ticket price. There are no additional data charges when using the system, or accessing the content.
“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,” Qantas Group Executive of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Olivia Wirth, said.
“Foxtel and Netflix both have huge catalogues that are expanding all the time, so there will be no shortage of entertainment on board.
How will it work?
According to Qantas, the free access offers will work a follows:
- Foxtel will offer three days free access to its Foxtel app every time a customer flies, allowing customers to stream live sports, news and TV shows as well as its full range of on-demand content. No sign-up to a subscription is required.
- Netflix will offer new customers access to the entire Netflix service as part of a 30-day free trial. Existing Netflix members only need to log in to continue watching at no extra charge.
- Spotify will offer a 30 day free trial of its Premium music service, which has no ads, shuffle play and unlimited skips.
(Note – both Netflix and Spotify require customers to sign-up to a subscription to access the free trial.)
The NetFlix and Spotify offerings sound like the normal trial periods for the service. It is unclear whether you will be able to sign up multiple times, or if it is a once off trial. Passengers will be able to use an existing subscrition, should they have one.
On the other hand, the Foxtel offering seems to be good. The ability to access Foxtel for 3 days every time you have a flight seems like a good offer.
To access the services, passengers will need to log into the onboard Wi-Fi using their own devices. Passengers will then be greeted by a landing page with a range of options This landing page will include links to access Netflix, Spotify and Foxtel. In addition, other options such as real-time flight data; weather and personolised information will be presented.
It is not only these offerings that will be available. Passengers will also be able to do web browsing or check emails through the service.
Overall, this is good news for domestic travellers. How long the rollout will take remains to be seen – so it may be a bit hit and miss for a while as to whether any particular flight will have internet connectivity.
