Qantas Airways to test iPad 2 as in-flight entertainment solution
The pilot program, billed as a âworld firstâ by the airline, will take place over a six-week period from the end of October to early December, Australian Business Traveller reports. The trial run will be limited, however, to a single aircraft, a 254-seat Boeing 767-300.
All passengers boarding the aircraft will be given an iPad 2 for in-flight entertainment purposes. The device will sport a custom interface based on a special âQ Streamingâ application that will let users stream content from one of five wireless access points.
Each iPad will be âlocked down,â bypassing the usual home screen in a similar manner to the iPads used as product signs in Apple stores. According to Qantas Executive Manager for Customer Experience Alison Webster, the devices will boot into the Q Streaming app, âso if anyone decides they want to âborrowâ one it wonât have any capability off the aircraft.â
Qantas may extend the iPad 2-based entertainment system to up to ten Boeing 767-300 aircrafts, and it may even consider deploying Apple's touchscreen tablets to its Airbus A330 fleet. For more details, see the original story at Australian Business Traveller.
While this trial program targets passengers, other airlines have started similar trials for aircraft crew, specifically for pilots. United Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines have already begun testing iPads pre-loaded with specific flight navigation applications to replace the existing paper documents and manuals currently present in the cockpits of their aircrafts.
27 Comments
Australia's Qantas Airlines will soon test Apple's iPad 2 as an in-flight entertainment system for travelers that offers streaming movies over Wi-Fi from a central server on the aircraft.
My hearing may not be a good as it once was although I haven't noticed any degradation, but I have a very difficult time hearing the iPad while in flight using the supplied ear buds. The engine noise is just too loud to hear quiet movies. I was recently trying to watch "No Country" and it was completely unwatchable. I suppose I need to invest in some Bose headphones. BTW I did buy that movie.
It is QANTAS not QUANTA.
For years we have been forced to turn off all electronic devices and now that it suits the airlines its ok. And it is wi-fi not cable - amazing.
It is QANTAS not QUANTA.
For years we have been forced to turn off all electronic devices and now that it suits the airlines its ok. And it is wi-fi not cable - amazing.
Uh, you've always been forced to turn off all devices that receive or transmit signals as a precaution to not interfere with the flight equipment while climbing or landing.
Also, the last thing a flight attendant needs is someone texting while they are giving out directions during an emergency.
I am certain the airline will have a proprietary system that is cleared by their engineers before deploying this system.
But you can continue to gripe just so you can play Angry Birds?
Grow up.
I am certain the airline will have a proprietary system that is cleared by their engineers before deploying this system.
I'm pretty certain the iPads won't be proprietary hardware so they'll use standard 802.11n. As I understand it it's the mobile radios that are the issue. That sound you get over a HiFi system that's too close to a mobile phone is what the pilots get in their headphones, loads of 'em.
Hmmm, odd decision. Given the appalling quality of streaming on the current wired LINUX in flight systems (too many hangs) streaming I've Wi-Fi sounds like a bad idea. Especially with a device which has at least 16GB of local storage. Surely wireless sync makes more sense, even with a proprietary app.
It is QANTAS not QUANTA.
For years we have been forced to turn off all electronic devices and now that it suits the airlines its ok. And it is wi-fi not cable - amazing.
I'm wondering if the author hasn't seen this name in written form, or simply doesn't know that it's an acronym.