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Qantas To Offer In-Flight Internet, Laptop Amenities
SlinkySausage writes "Australian international airline Qantas has just announced in-flight broadband will be available across all classes in its new fleet of A380s. Also on offer will be laptop power in economy and internet access in the seat-back entertainment system. They are retrofitting existing 747s with elements of the technology, and providing several ports for passengers with more expensive tickets: 'The USB ports will be used for "viewing of content" on the in-flight entertainment system, though Qantas wouldn't be drawn on whether that would include Divx video capability, or the ability to connect an iPod. It would also allow recharging of USB-powered devices. The Ethernet port is for laptops that don't have wireless, or for people who simply prefer an Ethernet connection over WiFi, which could potentially become congested in an aircraft if in-flight internet usage becomes popular.'"
This is about time. If you are trying to accomplish work on long International flights, simple laptop accommodations are a necessity, even in coach. And given that more and more work is absolutely dependent upon Internet access, this is welcome indeed.
I've found Qantas to be one of the most accommodating airlines as well as one of the most progressive. While my last flight on Quantas was not all it could be (not the fault of Qantas), I would fly them in preference to just about any other carrier and most other carriers could learn from them. Even their international coach is most comfortable with more entertainment options than I've seen on other carriers and given their Internet access, upcoming trips to Japan and China will likely be on Qantas unless the other carriers can step up and offer Internet access.
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It's QANTAS, not QANTIS.
Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services.
Internet connectivity is provided on our new flights, but personal electronic devices will henceforth be restricted due to security concerns...
âoeAny society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Charlie: Ray, all airlines have crashed at one time or another, that doesn't mean that they are not safe.
Raymond: QANTAS. QANTAS never crashed.
Charlie: QANTAS?
Raymond: Never crashed.
Charlie: Oh that's gonna do me a lot of good because QANTAS doesn't fly to Los Angeles out of Cincinnati, you have to get to Melbourne! Melbourne, Australia in order to get the plane that flies to Los Angeles!
mod me funny
If I should book my next flight from Charlottesville, Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia through Australia to take advantage of this...
Ben Hocking
Need a professional organizer?
No, you cannot join the Mile High Club by taking your laptop with you to the bathroom and hitting the pr0n, no matter how much Cat5 you stuff into the carry-on for facilitating this.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
VOIP on your laptop or perhaps iPhone, etc.? mmm... no more at&t/sprint airphone taunting me from the seatback in front of me.
"If still these truths be held to be
Self evident."
-Edna St. Vincent Millay
FTA:
Qantas says it will offer wireless internet throughout the A380s -- even in economy -- as well as web and email access via seat-back inflight entertainment systems if you don't have a laptop with you. I can only wonder if, having been "educated" that a cell phone turned on while in flight can bring the entire plane crashing down in flames, some customers might feel a slight bit uneasy when they see everyone firing up their laptops and connecting to the free wireless.On the one hand, I imagine some people might make the connection that both phone and laptops send them new fangled electronical signals through the air, without any wires (devils!)... while others will simply say "Oh, phones aren't laptops" and never give it a second thought.
How long will it be until we see the first story of a customer going crazy on a Quantas plane because they think their life is about to end in a mess of wreckage and flaming jetfuel because Johnny is checking his email.
On my last long distance flight (a proper long distance flight with two legs lasting 15 and 13 hours respectively), they handed out eyeshades so self-righteous pricks could sleep without worrying about what their neighbour whose bodyclock might be on who knows what timezone is doing. As for going to the galley, do you really think getting in the way of the staff is better than quietly enjoying the facilities that were put there for you at your own seat?
True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
Some of us can't sleep in planes or trains, you know.
You can't take the sky from me...
Obviously you aren't a real Australian...
It would be CUNTARSE if you were.
'Cause an ass is a fucking donkey you arse!
I wank in the shower.
The US Airline industry is very protectionist; even the recent open skies agreement with EU airlines doesn't go as far as most Europian carriers wanted and was seen to be bias toward the US airlines. (Both EU and US air lines can now land in more destinations, but EU airlines can't fly from one destination in the US to another; however US carriers can fly from one EU destination to another, a side effect of the EU being made up of many countries)
If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
I travel alot, and a lack of internet access for 12 hours or so is one of the things I really don't miss. I do a hell a lot of work on flights and a major reason for that is that I have to plan in advance, make sure I've got all the info I need and then I'm away. If I was on the internet I'd be expected to connect back to base, read and respond to emails and basically get less actual work done as people sent emails like "have you landed yet".
I like the fact that for 12 hours I'm out of communications and I can settle down and do what I want to do. I land, sync with the airport's WiFi and by the time I'm in the cab I'm responding to all those emails anyway, 30 minutes later I'm in the hotel and connected and the emails are all sent.
Lufthansa tried this a few years ago and then cancelled it because simply put the folks in business class (who would pay for this stuff) preferred to drink the nice wine, have a nice meal and have a sleep rather than browse the internet and get their emails.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
I believe Lufthansa was happily using Boeing's Connexion service until it was withdrawn due to insufficient takeup by other carriers. Note that Lufthansa was quite happy with the service even though it cost almost a fortune to mod the 747-400. The service was slow but it provided web and email access from Angels 33 without problems. To those of us old enough to remember 33K modems and slower, the speed wasn't so much an issue (although some people's web design was).
The thing is for short flights, it wasn't particularly interesting. Most people can afford to be off net for a few hours, so unless you were doing coast to coast in the US, it wasn't that interesting. Australia has some quite long distance flights inside the country, let alone to Asia, North America or Europe. That would make some money.
See my journal, I write things there
Imagine the RIAA trying to figure out how to stop it.
Not to mention chat with the lovely female in the next row up.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
I've only flown on Quantas once (in coach), but they provided an eyeshade to every passenger. In fact they provided a nice little kit to everyone with eyeshade, headphones, snacks, bottled watter, blanket/pillow, and toothbrush and toothpaste.
When the plane gets over international waters they should allow the passengers to have a p2p love-in, sharing all their media with each other while thumbing their noses at copyright law.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
It's also a little tenuous to suggest that an airline founded in 1985 with a fleet of 136 aircraft having no lost aircraft is comparable to an airline founded in 1920 with a fleet of 230 is comparable, especially when, as you note, both Qantas and Ryanair are at zero losses in the jet age.
And on that jet age note, it's also rather important to point out that Qantas have ALSO had zero deaths since moving to into the jet age.
So let's not start holding Ryanair as superior just yet.
Noone batted an eye, except for the security explosives screener who laughed, "Seven kilograms?!?" Normally I hate this and people who do it. But I tried to justify it as a one time one way trip (I was immigrating).
Two problems with this in coach/economy:
Emirates are my favourite airline - great service and entertainment system.
Why not have a total weight per person, including the person's weight? That seems more fair overall, and it would encourage overweight people to be more healthy.
The government can't save you.
Right now flights between places like LA and OZ & NZ, there is not much to do except to sleep especially since it is an overnight flight.
Er, no. Last flight I flew SYD->LAX left Sydney at midday. Sure, after lunch they dimmed the lights to try and adjust people to the time difference, but I wasn't fooled.
Flying LAX-> SYD I left at midday again, and arrived at Sydney 8.30pm at night. No overnight there! Actually it was a great flight, I was really adjusted when I got to Sydney - stayed up a few hours then hit the sack and *bam* no jet lag!