MacDailyNews Note: Since commencing operations in 2004, Jetstar has carried 50 million passengers throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region.
Creedy continues, “”The low-cost Qantas offshoot has signed a deal with Apple to become one of the first airlines in the world to trial iPads for its in-flight entertainment. Passengers will be able to rent the mobile devices on selected longer flights to watch new release movies, browse television programs, read an e-book, listen to music or play games. The airline is also looking at adding its in-flight magazine to the tablets.”
“Jetstar marketing general manager David May said the initial two-week trial would be on domestic flights longer than an hour. Thirty units would be on each test aircraft,” Creedy reports. “‘If the trial works, we want to put them on every aircraft because they’re so much slimmer and lighter than our existing units,’ he said.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, the trial will work alright. Plus it’ll help sell a lot of iPads, too!
I forget, is it the Award winning “Attache Magazine” or the iPad in the front pocket I’m allowed to take with me?
I want to know is that if we supply our own iPad, could we be able to access the in flight entertainment? Like, if the airline simply had an app that you could download to access the content while on board a Jetstar flight?
I’d hate to be the 31st passenger on those flights. Could lead to a bidding war among passengers. Imagine being in the above 30 group sitting next to one of the first 30 customers. And how are they planning on choosing the first 30 out of 100 or more that want to rent one? Looks like a lot of headaches for the flight attendants to me.
Velcro + iPad = <3
Great idea.
I don’t yet have an iPad, and my 17″ Macbook Pro won’t fit on the tray.
@FutureMedia,
Reminds me of that scene at the beginning of Planes, Trains and Autombiles when Steve Martin’s character is “buying” a cab from a man who’d already hailed one…
Sir? Sir? Excuse me.
Could I appeal to your good nature and ask you for your iPad?
I don’t have a good nature. Excuse me.
Come on! Could I offer you $20? I’ll give you $30.
I’ll take 50.
All right.
Anyone who would pay $50 to rent an iPad would certainly pay $75.
Not necessarily…
All right, 75. You’re a thief.
Close. I’m an attorney.
Have a happy holiday.
This will help.
Why would you want to access the in-flight entertainment?
@ Anonymous
The in-flight entertainment includes “new release movies, browse television programs, read an e-book, listen to music or play games.”
The games are probably just stand-alone apps, but the movies, tv shows, etc would most likely be in a special App.
Unless the airline lets you install that App, there would be no way for you to access all that media. “No new release movies for you!”
One option is they plane could have a media server and share the movies/TV shows via the Air Video App. That way you’d have to be on the plane’s Wifi in order to access the media.
That would be cool, but I think the “special airline App” is more likely.
Wow, an airline actually charging for something of value, rather than charging for what used to be free. Revolutionary, indeed!
Hopefully they’ll have a “buy now” option too, so the flyer can fall in love with an BUY the very iPad they’ve been using the whole flight.
That really is an “everybody wins” situation. Except, I don’t know, Rob Enderle.
I would think that almost everyone who doesn’t already own an iPad, would have to have one after using it for an hour or two.
And imagine having one of the cheap iPad knock-offs, and sitting on the plane beside a real iPad for the first time.
Apple better get ready for the increased Australian iPad demand.
And FYI,
Apple market cap at 1:40 EST today: 241.58 Billion
Microsoft market cap at 1:40 EST today: 230.05 Billion
U B I Q U I T O U S
Can Ballmer spell it do you think?
Let’s see now… Apple has got Jetstar spending its money to market the iPad…
So Jetstar must be the corporate equivalent of an individual queuing up at an Apple Store to buy an iPad on launch day.
Goes to show just how right Apple has got it. To the point where other corporates want to gain benefit by association.
Jetstar is a wart on the bum of air travel. That it is being associated with apple makes me sad.
Actually, Jetstar is a division of the long-suffering Qantas…
I think Apple just killed the aircraft entertainment system market… iPads will be lighter weight and lower cost than the out-of-order again system, airline can start charging for the on-flight entertainment service, and sell iPad if the passenger chooses to keep it.
How to say bloodbath in Australian?
@krquet: “How to say bloodbath in Australian?”
Simple: VirginBlue!