Is this the beginning of the end of dedicated in-flight entertainment? Some airlines have already announced plans to remove seat-back screens since almost everybody has their own mobile device.
Now Australian airline Qantas has announced that its onboard Wi-Fi will enable passengers to stream Netflix, Foxtel and Spotify content on domestic flights.
A Qantas media release says the service will enable its customers to access a wide range of television shows and films, and live sport, and can listen to “almost any song they like”.
“With speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional inflight Wi-Fi, Qantas will offer customers video and audio streaming when the service is switched on its first domestic aircraft in late February this year.
“The rest of the airline’s fleet of domestic Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft will follow from mid-2017 onwards.”
The details are:
- 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.
