Qantas puts in-flight Internet on A380 flights to USA next month
By David Flynn, January 25 2012
UPDATE | Qantas has now begun its in-flight Internet trial on selected Airbus A380s – read our first-hand report of what it's like to do some sky-high surfing on the Red Roo!
PREVIOUS | Qantas will roll out in-flight Internet on selected Airbus A380 flights next month.
Six of the airline's flagship Airbus A380s flying from Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles will take part in a six-week trial beginning late February.
Passengers will be able to connect their smartphone, tablet or notebook to the A380's internal wireless network, with signals beamed through Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband satellite system.
The system will support regular Web browsing, email and apps but VoIP services such as Skype will be blocked, as will mobile phone calls.
A Qantas spokesperson told Australian Business Traveller that for the first few weeks of the trial – when access will be limited to passengers in the First and Business cabins – the service will be offered free of charge, before introducing a range of pay-to-surf packages to test uptake.
"Initially when we launch the trial it will be free, then there will be a period with several paid packages so we can get an indication of the demand at different price points" she said.
"We're working through the details of those packages at the moment, and once the trial is finished we'll be setting the cost based on that."
Last year Qantas polled a select group of passengers from its 12,000-strong Customer Experience Panel of frequent flyers on how they would typically use in-flight Internet and how much they'd be prepared to pay for the privilege.
While Qantas hasn't shared the details of that survey, our own poll of Australian Business Traveller readers indicated that two-thirds would pay $10-$20 for Internet access on international flights.
Following February's LAX trial Qantas will assess the system for wider deployment on other international flights, including the Kangaroo Route to London via Singapore and the new A380 service to Hong Kong.
Qantas has also begun trials of Apple’s iPad for in-flight entertainment, having pushed back the tests from October while final testing took place.
The 'Q Streaming' system will use wi-fi to stream content to the tablets from a central server on the aircraft, using technology developed by Lufthansa Systems as part of their BoardConnect platform – which has also been adopted by Virgin Australia for its own in-flight system set to debut in mid-2012.
The six-week trial will will be limited to a single Boeing 767-300 which will be scheduled across a variety of routes, from Sydney-Melbourne to transcontinental coast-to-coast services. [Read our detailed report here.]
Qantas' announcement comes as other airlines scramble to the starting gate for in-flight wireless.
Emirates this week launched in-flight Internet on its fleet of Airbus A380s (see our report here) and Virgin Australia plans wireless streaming of movies and music to tablets, smartphones and laptops on domestic flights, with in-flight Internet also on the cards...
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Sep 2011
Total posts 181
I really hope this doesn't mean people will be able to make phone calls through skype. At least on flights you get some quiet relief from shmucks who incessantly jabber away on their mobiles.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
Hi Woganfan - just got confirmation of that from Qantas PR, VoIP will be blocked (yay!) – have updated the article.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Sep 2011
Total posts 181
There is a God!!!!!
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
Yes, and he's probably lifetime Platinum One!
03 Nov 2011
Total posts 35
hasn't there always been an in-seat satelite phone thingie anyway? if so, strange that they would block it if they already provide a way to make calls via another method.....not that i want it though, either! if people really need to make a call, they should do it with their laptop in designated sealed off areas (like the toilet, lol!) - and about that, i do have some bad news: people can get around voip blocking using any old VPN service out there. but how much of a problem loud determined internet-savvy callers will be in the future is yet to be seen. i'm sure airlines can just adjust to the cultural change and designate calling areas in the plane or indeed unofficially advise them to use the toilet if they absolutely must, haha.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Sep 2011
Total posts 181
I have never seen the in flight phone thingy used, ever. I suspect the cost has been prohibitively high and it is not as intuitive as a voip system so I think it has gone on the too hard basket, even for the most ardent technofreaks.
As for making a call when making a call, so to speak, fair point about the calling areas etc but it is usually those who want a quiet area who have to move, for example the designated quiet areas in the CX lounges in Honkers or on some Trains around the world.
03 Nov 2011
Total posts 35
Or chuck all the yackers in premium economy and shut the doors, hehe.
But good idea, qantas can just designate quiet sections in one area of each class, that's a good solution.
In the meantime, I have my travel-frindly in-ear headphones which double up as quite effective earplugs to lessen the plane noise anyway.
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
Well at least making it free for First and Business passengers makes sense, at least during the trial. Wonder how many people will use it once they have to pay, and what sort of limitations there will be on bandwidth?
03 Nov 2011
Total posts 35
Thanks for the news, look forwad to finding out when they start selling it on LON route :). emails and productivity in the plane, FIN-A-LLY haha.
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