Qantas offers free iPads for all passengers, saves fuel in the process – Matthrew Humphries via Geek.com
Matthrew Humphries via Geek.com
Qantas is one of the first airlines to offer all passengers a free iPad for use during domestic flights aboard its fleet of B767 aircraft. Each iPad will allow access to the QStreaming service, which has over 200 hours of entertainment to watch. There’s also going to be in-flight Wi-Fi for those who want to surf the web and check their email.
The main reason for the free iPad offer for all passengers is competition, with Qantas wanting to attract customers away from rival Virgin Australia. But there is a massive weight saving, too.
A typical in-flight entertainment system installed in the back of every seat can weigh upwards of 2,000kg. Rip that out and replace it with hundreds of 652 gram iPads connected via WiFi, and you get a huge weight saving, even if you include the required system to hook them into the QStreaming service.
Doing a quick calculation, 375 new iPads (maximum amount of passengers a B767 can carry) weigh 244kg — much less than the 2,000kg permanently-installed alternative. For one flight that weight saving may make a small dent in fuel costs, but added up over multiple years of flights it soon becomes clear the switch is worth it.
This is going to soon be the norm.
Gerd says: agreed - and not just with iPads:)
Incluso en turista, bien Quantas, ahora es potente, será habitual y no diferenciador pronto
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