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Qantas completes record 19-hour flight to test limits of air travel
Qantas just broke a record for air travel, and it may have helped science in the process. The Australian airline has completed the first non-stop commercial flight from New York City to Sydney as part of a project researching the effects of very long flights -- in this case, 19 hours and 16 minutes. The study measured pilots' brain waves, melatonin and overall alertness, while passengers helped gauge the effectiveness of anti-jetlag measures like changes to cabin lighting and meals. Travelers even participated in exercises to keep their bodies limber.
Australian airport begins passport-free biometric check-in trials
Qantas passengers who travel through Sydney Airport will be among the first groups of travelers to use facial recognition in automated check-ins, bag drop, lounge access and plane boarding. The system will ultimately allow officials to process travelers quicker. Early trials which provide a glimpse into a seamless, passport-free future are currently underway, but their implementation is provoking mixed responses.
Australian airlines ban use of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7
Australian airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have told passengers not to power up or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on its planes. "We are requesting that passengers who own them do not switch on or charge them in flight," Qantas told Reuters in a statement. The companies weren't ordered to do so by aviation authorities in the nation, but did so on their own accord in light of Samsung Australia's recall.
Samsung's Gear VR will entertain Qantas' first-class passengers
Offering iPads as in-flight entertainment systems is so 2014. Australian carrier Qantas will soon welcome a new breed of gadget onboard -- the Samsung Gear VR, along with a Galaxy Note 4 to power it. The phone's loaded with a special app that shows you 360-degree views of the carrier's first-class lounges and even a virtual reality boat ride. You can also use it to watch a movie, but unfortunately, if you want to marathon House of Cards, you'll have to use your own laptop or tablet for that. See, the bad news is that there will be a limited number of Gear VRs available, and it's not accessible to everyone flying Qantas: only folks in Business Class aboard an Airbus A380 going from LA to Sydney or from Melbourne to LA can borrow one. Even then, they're expected to use it only for a limited time, so other people can take their turn.
Daily Update for May 2, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Qantas lands Passbook-enabled iPhone app
Australia's Qantas airline has released a brand-new iPhone app (free) with many great features, including Passbook support. The Qantas Airways app lets customers find and book Qantas flights, book hotels worldwide, view flight bookings, access up-to-the-minute flight status and create personalized alerts for specific flights and prices. With Passbook support, fliers can check-in for most domestic flights and add their boarding pass to Passbook, meaning there's no need to carry a paper ticket when traveling. Furthermore, Qantas frequent flyers can use the app to view their points balance and what their next flight is. Handy! The Qantas Airways app is available now from the iOS App Store. [Via AppAdvice]
Qantas expands in-flight iPad program for passengers
Back in 2010, we reported that Qantas Airways' Jetstar flights would offer iPads to passengers as in-flight entertainment, and in 2011 the program began testing on the carrier's own jets. Now the Hindustan Times is reporting that the Australian airline has expanded the in-flight iPad program. Qantas's Boeing 767 aircraft (16 in total) operating on flights between Sydney and Honolulu are now equipped with iPads, which allow passengers to stream more than 200 hours of movies, TV shows and music during the flight. The music and video entertainment is streamed directly to the iPads over the plane's onboard WiFi via Qantas's inflight entertainment technology, Q Streaming. Qantas says that newspapers and magazines, interactive games and business / travel apps will be added to the service over the coming months. The market for budget airlines operating in and around Australia and Asia is increasingly competitive, and Qantas hopes the iPads will lure would-be travelers. Meanwhile, other airlines are making different choices for tablet technology; American, which already provides iPads for pilot flight manuals, is going with Samsung tablets running Android for flight attendants, premium passenger entertainment and maintenance workers.
Qantas to hand out free iPads to all passengers on Boeing 767s, save fuel and our sanity (video)
Qantas just upped the ante for its Australian counterparts Jetstar and Virgin in the airline tablet wars. Following an earlier trial, the transporter plans to hand out free iPads to all of its passengers -- not just the high-flyers in business-class, like with Jetstar's iPads or Virgin's Galaxy Tabs -- on every Boeing 767 aircraft in the fleet. The rollout, which starts in the last quarter of the year, will let those bored in the back seats watch an equally free 200 hours' worth of QStreaming audio and video. Don't confuse the gesture with a sudden bout of altruism on Qantas' part, however. The pound-and-a-half weight of a current iPad sheds the tremendous amount of weight that would normally be needed for a conventional in-flight entertainment system built into the headrest, which on a typical 375-seat 767 could see the iPads pay for themselves within years, if not sooner. The option will give many Aussies something to look forward to for their domestic summer vacations. In the meantime, hop past the break for a Qantas video explaining how QStreaming worked during the original trial run.
Daily Update for July 17, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Qantas plans to ditch BlackBerry, adopt iPhone
Australia's Sunday Morning Herald reports that Qantas is set to replace 1,300 BlackBerry phones with iPhones. The airline recently surveyed its employees about their smartphone preference, and found that the majority were interested in iPhones. A spokesperson also noted that Apple's device meets "...all Qantas' security requirements." It's another win for Apple and another blow for ailing RIM.
Qantas replacing staff BlackBerrys with iPhones, Australian flights may be held up by Tiny Wings
RIM has already been feeling the sting of lost customers. That sting isn't getting any gentler, as Qantas just outlined plans to replace all 1,300 BlackBerry phones in the fleet with iPhones. As the airline explains to The Australian, a mix of cost overhead and employee feedback is steering the decision to wing it Apple's way. We also imagine Qantas may be facing the usual airline dilemma of having to replace large swaths of equipment after clinging to old technology for dear life. Naturally, the company is keen to reassure passengers that the security is up to snuff as well, and a Bring Your Own Device effort could see Android fly once it's approved. The time scale is indefinite enough that it's unlikely that we'll see the airline crew members distracted by a game of Amazing Alex on that next flight to Melbourne -- we only know that they'll be weaning themselves off of BlackBerry Messenger before too long.
Qantas trials in-flight WiFi between Australia and US
While plenty of US domestic flights have their WiFi provisions sorted, international connectivity remains pretty rare. Attempting to bring another time-killing option alongside all those middling in-flight Marvel movies, Qantas has started testing wireless internet on its 14-hour flights between Los Angeles and Australia. The trial will run for eight weeks across six of Qantas' A380 super-jumbos. Access during the trial will be free, however it'll be limited to first and business class passengers, with data allowance currently capped at a weedy 100MB for laptops and 32MB for mobile devices. Well, at least you're not walled inside an online store.
Daily Update for Sept. 15, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Qantas tests iPad as in-flight entertainment
Starting in October, customers on select Qantas flights will be able to choose an iPad for their in-flight entertainment. The iPads will come with pre-loaded TV shows, movies and music to help pass the time on the plane. Eventually, Qantas hopes to deliver this multimedia content wirelessly so passengers can use their own device to watch in-flight movies and listen music while flying. Qantas is not the only airline to offer iPads to their travelers. Jetstar is renting iPads to passengers on their A320 flights in Australia and Asia and British Airways is handing out the tablet to passengers in First Class and Business Class.
Jetstar airline to offer in-flight iPads in April
Back in June 2010 we first reported on a pilot program by Qantas Airways' low-cost airline Jetstar to offer iPad rentals as in-flight entertainment, and now we have learned that Jetstar will finally start offering them in April for AUD$10 per flight. According to Australian Business Traveler, the in-flight iPads will come loaded with "movies, music, magazines, books and games" and will be available on Jetstar's A320 flights in Australia and Asia. Jetstar had initially intended to launch the rental program in time for the holiday season after successful trial runs last summer, but due to contract negotiations and pending licensing agreements with Apple, they weren't able to get it ready in time. In talking with Australian Business Traveler, Jetstar marketing manager David May said that "if the trial works, we want to put them on every aircraft because they're so much slimmer and lighter than our existing units," and I imagine we will be seeing many other airlines follow suit. With some airlines already offering integration between iPods and in-flight entertainment systems and iPads being used as electronic flight bags for pilots, just how far off are we from flying Apple Airlines? Anyone care to take a guess?
Jetstar Airways first to rent out iPads, only $8.40 a flight
The world's first iPad inflight entertainment system definitely came sooner than we thought; though Bluebox just announced the idea two weeks ago, it's slated to hit Australia at the end of the month. Qantas budget carrier Jetstar Airways will hold a trial of the service in the last two weeks of June, doling out iPads to passengers on flights 90 minutes or greater for AUD $10 (approximately $8.40) a pop, and will extend the service to their entire network if the business... well, you know. Since Jetstar CIO Stephen Tame famously predicted the iPad would kill the inflight movie business earlier this year, it seems we're looking at a classic case of if-you-can't-beat-em syndrome. Call us biased, but that sounds a good sight better than what Microsoft's up to.
Qantas bringing in-flight SMS and email coming to all AU domestic flights
It's been two years since we first heard that Qantas was bringing in-flight email and SMS to its fleet, and after a lengthy testing period, it looks like it's finally happening. The last set of test flights wrapped up in January, and allowing people to check in on the status of their Nigerian money transfers and send R U HERE texts apparently didn't cause any major problems, so the airline is moving to bring the tech to all Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 flights in Australia. Voice service still isn't in the cards, but considering how long it's taking to get any of this tech off the ground in the States, we'll take what we can get.[Thanks, Chris]
Qantas bringing in-flight SMS and email to all AU domestic flights
It's been two years since we first heard that Qantas was bringing in-flight email and SMS to its fleet, and after a lengthy testing period, it looks like it's finally happening. The last set of test flights wrapped up in January, and allowing people to check in on the status of their Nigerian money transfers and send R U HERE texts apparently didn't cause any major problems, so the airline is moving to bring the tech to all Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 flights in Australia. Voice service still isn't in the cards, but considering how long it's taking to get any of this tech off the ground in the States, we'll take what we can get.[Thanks, Chris]
Qantas extends testing of in-flight cellphone use
Qantas has already taken quite a few steps towards allow in-flight cellphone use (and more), but it looks like the Australian airline still needs a bit more time to get things just right, as its now extending a trial it first launched in April. That was originally supposed to run just three months but, according to PC World, it'll now wrap up in February of next year, although Qantas expects to have a preliminary report ready before the end of this year. What's more, these tests (and eventual implementation) are apparently limited to text and email services only, and not voice calling, which is a compromise we're guessing more than a few will be willing to accept.
Laptop power, in-flight internet coming to Qantas
Those already giddy about their 2008 trip to Down Under should now pick up the phone and do whatever it takes to get on one of Qantas' forthcoming A380s or revamped 747-400s, as both planes will reportedly feature in-flight WiFi and laptop power. As if that weren't enough, the new A380s will even dole out power sockets to those in economy class, and while the in-flight entertainment system may be preferred by your offspring, we know you'll greatly appreciate the internet access and seat-mounted USB / Ethernet ports. Currently, Qantas has yet to divulge exactly how much these luxuries will run you per flight, and while there's still a few months remaining before any passengers are faced with such comforts while flying Qantas, we can't help but yearn for a first-class ticket complete with a 17-inch widescreen LCD. Hit the read link for a few more snapshots and the full rundown of extras.
