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Despite NBN Co’s ongoing problems with its Sky Muster satellite service, Qantas is planning to next week launch its Wi-Fi in-flight Internet service – which largely depends on access to the
Sky Muster satellites. The airline will host a special invitation-only charter flight for media on Monday March 27, former IT journo David Flynn – now operator of the Australian Business
Traveller online service – has revealed. Qantas flight QF6160 is planned to take off from Sydney at 11am for a two-hour preview of the satellite service, Flynn says. A special guest on the
flight will be Terry Percival, who helped create the Wi-Fi standard while working at the CSIRO. Flynn adds: “Qantas is also adding streaming service Stan as a content partner on the
Wi-Fi-equipped Boeing 737, alongside Foxtel, Netflix and Spotify, so there’ll be plenty to choose from when you’re up in the air.” The Boeing 737 involved is currently the sole
Wi-Fi-equipped plane in the Qantas fleet. It will spend coming weeks on popular east-coast routes between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This lone aircraft is due to be joined by an Airbus
A330 in the second half of the year, doing mainly east-west runs. Hopefully by then NBN Co will have settled some of its Sky Muster issues . . .
