Qantas domestic flights to soon start streaming Netflix, Spotify and Foxtel

News
By Sharmishta Sarkar
published

Enjoy (jet)streaming at 30,000 feet in the air

Domestic travellers on the Flying Kangaroo will soon be able to enjoy their favourite shows, watch live sports and choose their own music with access to free Wi-Fi.

Qantas announced today that, starting end of February, customers on Wi-Fi enabled domestic flights will enjoy speeds of “up to 10 times faster than conventional inflight Wi-Fi” and will have access to audio and video streaming services.

The national airline is almost ready with its first fleet of 80 aircrafts, including Boeing 737s and Airbus A330s, that have been fitted with NBN-supplied Wi-Fi.

Netflix and chill in the mile high club

In addition to the arrival of free Wi-Fi to domestic flights, Foxtel, Netflix and Spotify have come on board to offer flyers access to their ever-growing catalogue of shows, movies, sports and music from 30,000 feet in the air.

Foxtel will offer Qantas flyers a free three-day trial of its Foxtel Go app every time the customer flies, eliminating the need to sign up for a subscription.

Both Netflix and Spotify will offer passengers a 30-day free trial, provided they sign up for a new subscription to either or both of the services. Of course, existing members need only log in to start streaming.

Qantas has announced that Sky News Australia will also be available.

Streaming in the skies

Passengers will be able to latch onto the new on-board Wi-Fi service using their own devices, to then be greeted by a landing page offering various options.

Other than the streaming services on offer, Qantas will also provide real-time flight data, travel and accommodation options at the destination, weather updates and personalised information gathered from itineraries and Frequent Flyers accounts.

The airline is also in discussion with suppliers to extend this Wi-Fi service to its international and QantasLink fleets as well.

Qantas hasn’t yet finalised any long-term plans on what's to become of its current inflight entertainment system, but it will be interesting to see if it follows American Airlines, which announced in January that backseat TV monitors were going to be phased out.

Sharmishta Sarkar
Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of India (she studied to be a primatologist but has since left monkey business behind). While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, she's also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. When she's not testing camera kits or the latest in e-paper tablets, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart home gizmos. She's also the Australian Managing Editor of Digital Camera World and, if that wasn't enough, she contributes to T3 and Tom's Guide, while also working on two of Future's photography print magazines Down Under.