Qantas starts international wifi

[Cognac]

Currently on Q72 back to Perth. Can confirm. Wi-Fi is working. Can close out the trip listening to the cricket.

 

[justinbrett]

Only over Australia? What a joke. Most other airlines now have free wifi for J and F pax on all routes.

And in most cases, barely usable for email let alone streaming.

QF is waiting for Viasat 3 for decent bandwidth.

I’d also like to challenge your statement that “most other airlines now have free wifi for J and F pax”. Complete BS.

 

[moa999]

And in most cases, barely usable for email let alone streaming

Interesting. Did you run a speed test?
In my experience (mostly 737s) the bandwidth had been pretty good.

While Sky Muster is lower throughput total, it's beams are focussed on a much smaller area than the future ViaSat 3 sats.

 

[justinbrett]

Interesting. Did you run a speed test?
In my experience (mostly 737s) the bandwidth had been pretty good.

While Sky Muster is lower throughput total, it's beams are focussed on a much smaller area than the future ViaSat 3 sats.

That was poorly worded sorry. I was referring to the airlines currently offering international wifi over oceanic airspace.

QF domestic wifi is excellent.

 

[anyonebutqantas]

And in most cases, barely usable for email let alone streaming.

QF is waiting for Viasat 3 for decent bandwidth.

I’d also like to challenge your statement that “most other airlines now have free wifi for J and F pax”. Complete BS.

Qatar, Emirates, Cathay, Singapore all do - and all are major international rivals of Qantas with a significant number of services to Australia.

Or is your head buried so far in the sand of Qantas fanboydom that you think all other airlines are "Complete BS"?

 

[kpro]

Coincidentally, an elderly family member had an A332 with WiFi on a flight to Asia recently. Except this person wouldn't have the faintest idea how to use it, and would've preferred the in-seat screen over the iPad.

So to each their own, though I do wonder what the % of pax using WiFi actually is.

 

[kpro]

Qatar, Emirates, Cathay, Singapore all do

Not quite. From a quick bit of research, there are often caveats to the free WiFi service, which are either limits to time or limited to messaging. Often also coupled with requiring you to be crediting the flight to their home FF program.

SQ and Cathay to an extent (in F) are the two in your list which allow free WiFi in premium cabins without some kind of string attached.

If QF operates their international WiFi similarly to the domestic one (IE no FF required and untimed) they may still end up with the best service all round. Also assuming they don't 'enhance' it.

• Qatar - One hour free internet for Privilege Club members.
• Emirates -
  • Skywards in Y/J get free messaging only.
  • Skywards in F get free internet.
  • Elite Skywards in J get free internet.
  • Plat Skywards in all classes get free internet.
• Cathay - Free internet in F.
• Singapore Airlines -
  • Krisflyer in Y get 2 hours free internet.
  • Krisflyer in PE get 3 hours free internet.
  • All pax in F/J get free internet.
  • PPS in all classes get free internet.

 

[Peasant]

SQ will be providing unlimited free wifi to all passengers in all classes from 1 July. The only caveat is that you'll need to have a Krisflyer number on your booking.

QF's tardiness with rolling it out on longhaul flights is very frustrating. They might like to claim that the speeds aren't good enough, but I rarely, if ever, have an issue on my SQ or QR flights. I'm nearly always able to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. And across all regions I travel to. It's scaremongering to claim the current systems are so futile.

ViaSat 3 will be better, certainly, but I still view it as QF pushing the capex can further and further down the road.

 

[kpro]

The only caveat is that you'll need to have a Krisflyer number on your booking.

And that's a fairly big caveat. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it would seem that this number needs to be associated on booking or during check in.

Many people outside of Singapore would be using their home *A number in the booking. Australians are likely to be using a Velocity number. If you wanted to avail yourself of free WiFi, at the very least this means any SC's/points won't be credited to your preferred program and you could lose priority check in as well as extra baggage allowance.

Of course if you're not an elite member of a partner then the opportunity cost is far less.

 

[AIRwin]

If you wanted to avail yourself of free WiFi, at the very least this means any SC's/points won't be credited to your preferred program

Unless it's already a redemption booking

 

[justinbrett]

Qatar, Emirates, Cathay, Singapore all do - and all are major international rivals of Qantas with a significant number of services to Australia.

Or is your head buried so far in the sand of Qantas fanboydom that you think all other airlines are "Complete BS"?

I think saying 4 airlines is “most airlines” is BS.

 

[elanshin]

I wonder how much wiggle room there is to get out of Viasat3 now that starlink has proven it's working now (and possibly have a better product than Viasat3).

Was just reading about people using starlink on Hawaiian as they just turned it on recently for the public.

 

[moa999]

From today's announcement.. sticking with ViaSat.
Rollout details below.

Note that ViaSat is yet to select the launch provider for the AsiaPac satellite.

ACCELERATION OF INTERNATIONAL WI-FI ROLLOUT

Qantas will retrofit its existing fleet of international aircraft with fast and free Wi-Fi, with the service due to be progressively switched on from the end of calendar year 2024.

The expansion of Wi-Fi to the airline’s international fleet was deferred until global satellite technology was able to deliver a similar quality connection that Qantas customers have when travelling domestically. The speed and reliability of Qantas’ domestic Wi-Fi service has driven average take-up rates of 75 per cent, with some routes showing up to 100 per cent uptake.

Qantas will offer ‘fast and free’ international Wi-Fi with enough bandwidth for every passenger to enjoy a fast and consistent connection.

The service will tap into the latest technology from global broadband services provider, Viasat, giving customers on international flights the ability to stream movies, TV shows, the latest news bulletins and live sports.

Qantas’ A330, B787 and A380 fleets will progressively be retrofitted to enable connection to Viasat’s expanding next-generation satellite network.

The A330-200LR installation program will be built into the existing heavy maintenance schedule starting in March 2024. Installation on all eight of these aircraft is expected to be complete by the end of this calendar year, coinciding with the launch of a new satellite covering South East Asia. Installation programs for the B787, A380 and A330-300s will commence from 2025.

New aircraft currently on order, including A350 and B787 fleets, will be Wi-Fi capable when delivered.

Jetstar will introduce onboard Wi-Fi on its international widebody fleet from 2026, as part of its Boeing 787 cabin refresh.

 

[Beano]

That's a long wait to the end of 2024. When you consider that Air NZ has wifi Trans-tasman, what is the problem with Qantas?

 

[eminere]

That's a long wait to the end of 2024. When you consider that Air NZ has wifi Trans-tasman, what is the problem with Qantas?

How much time you got?

 

[elanshin]

That's a long wait to the end of 2024. When you consider that Air NZ has wifi Trans-tasman, what is the problem with Qantas?

The problem is they chose not to use existing satellite outside of the NBN. So the actual satellite doesn't exist in space and they don't want to retrofit the fleet twice.

Doesn't make it any better and now we have to hope that viasat-3 APAC doesn't have the same problems as their first launch.

 

[Beano]

How much time you got?

Not all the problems, just the wifi, but I think this is being addressed by other posts.

 

[Beano]

The problem is they chose not to use existing satellite outside of the NBN. So the actual satellite doesn't exist in space and they don't want to retrofit the fleet twice.

Doesn't make it any better and now we have to hope that viasat-3 APAC doesn't have the same problems as their first launch.

Thanks. Looks like Air NZ uses Inmarsat, with Panasonic Avionics

 

[moa999]

problem is they chose not to use existing satellite outside of the NBN.

Technically a totally different band so different aerial (Ka band, whereas most older fixed orbit satellites are Ku band).
It's probably equivalent to 4G v 3G.

When Qantas signed the contract it probably all was meant to be active by now, but Covid and other things has delayed it.

And arguably SpaceXs StarLink may be a far better product today.

 

[RSVKanga]

The first QF aircraft scheduled to be fitted with fast and free international Wifi should have entered service by now (A332). Any idea on what the registration of this aircraft is?