Qantas begins iPad trials for Wi-Fi movie streaming by batteryfast.co.uk

Qantas will begin trials of Apple’s iPad for in-flight entertainment this month, using wi-fi to stream content to the tablets from a central server on the aircraft.

The six-week trial will run from the end of October to early December, although it will be limited to a single Boeing 767-300.

The aircraft used for the trial will be scheduled across a variety of routes, from Sydney-Melbourne to transcontinental coast-to-coast services (if you're a real aviation geek who wants to be sure you're on that plane, the aircraft rego one to watch for is VH-OGH).

"You'll find this 767 on our triangle route of Sydney-Melbourne-Brisbane but customers will get the most benefit on the long east-west routes" Alison Webster, Qantas Executive Manager for Customer Experience, told Australian Business Traveller.

All passengers on that aircraft will find an iPad 2 sitting in their seat-back pocket, while those in business class will also get a flexible stand which can be used on the fold-down meal tray. The plane will carry one tablet for each of the aircraft’s 254 seats, with several spares on hand.

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Webster says the iPads will be "locked down", bypassing Apple's normal home screen and booting straight into the Q Streaming app – "so if anyone decides they want to 'borrow' one it won't have any capability off the aircraft."

A special ‘Q Streaming’ app loaded onto the iPad will act as the front-end for on demand content beamed from one of five wireless access points. This app and the technology behind it is based on Lufthansa Systems’ BoardConnect technology, variations of which are also being used by Virgin America.

Towards the end of the initial six week trial Qantas will allow passengers to view the streaming content on their own iPad by making the Q Streaming app available as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

Qantas says the iPads have the capability to be preloaded to the same level of content as offered on their flagship Airbus A380, although the trial will be restricted to streaming content from a smaller selection.

In a novel and welcome twist, Q Streaming will eventually allows passengers with their own tablet to download video to watch within a 24 hour period of leaving the aircraft if the programme was cut short by the plane landing.

The system also has the capability to work with Android tablets, notebooks and even smartphones, although the trial is an iPad-only program.

"This pilot programme is about putting the wi-fi streaming capability through its paces" Webster says. "The system is able to support a variety of devices and the ultimate goal is for customers to bring their own devices if they choose" Webster says. "We’ll evaluate the trial at the end of this year and then make some strategic decisions (for next year)."

If successful, the system will be rolled out on ten Boeing 767-300s, with the airline then looking at installing seats with in-built iPad brackets.

Qantas is also keeping an open mind on introducing it to Airbus A330s, but is quick to point out that the airline remains committed to conventional in-flight entertainment systems with a screen in the seat or the armrest.

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