Inflight entertainment heads to the regions with QantasLink upgrade
By Steve Creedy Thu Sep 2, 2021
Inflight entertainment is heading beyond the black stump thanks to an upgrade of QantasLink aircraft to stream content to passengers’ digital devices.
The entertainment upgrade starts with one of the regional offshoot's Airbus A320 this week and will be extended to all the regional carrier’s jets by mid-2022.
The upgrade will apply to more than 50 Boeing 717, Fokker 100, A320 and Alliance Airlines Embraer E190 aircraft.
READ: Qantas warns Perth-London nonstops may move to Darwin.
It means passengers will be able to use the Qantas Entertainment app to stream more than 2500 hours of premiere movies, TV series and audiobooks to their device.
That includes exclusive TV shows and original films from streaming partner Stan.
The airline already offers streaming via the app on dual-cabin 717 aircraft as well as on the Qantas 737 and A330 fleets,
Passengers wanting an optimal experience need to remember to download the app from the Apple Store and Google Play prior to departure but the entertainment can also be accessed via a browser for anyone who forgets.
According to Qantas Group chief customer officer Stephanie Tully, the rollout will mean inflight entertainment will be available on up to 180 Qantas and QantasLink aircraft.
“Customers tell us they value being able to take time for themselves inflight to catch up on their favorite TV shows or watch movies they didn’t get to see at the cinema,” Tully said.
“This investment means more of our customers will have access to inflight entertainment, particularly when traveling to smaller capital cities and regional centers.
“In a normal year, our customers watch more than 20 million hours of movies and TV shows while flying with us, so we know our streaming service is incredibly popular, especially on longer domestic routes.”
Tully said she expected Australia’s vaccination rollout would see demand for travel quickly return as restrictions ease.
“Improvements like this will make it even better when it does,” she said.
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