What happened to IFE on the QantasLink 717s?

[Mattg]

When QantasLink first rolled out its two-class Boeing 717s, in-flight entertainment was provided to all passengers in the form of an iPad in the seat pocket with streaming entertainment.

At some point the iPads disappeared from the 717s, but you could still stream IFE content to your own device.

Now, there is no in-flight entertainment whatsoever. I don't recall any announcement about IFE being removed from the 717s - it's just gone.

Does anyone know what happened? How did it go backwards from Qantas-supplied iPads with streaming to nothing at all?

 

[Captain Halliday]

It was never across the entire fleet.

IFE was only on the 717 aircraft configured with J.

 

[jb747]

I don’t know if this is the reason or not, but I did hear that IFE was curtailed on the mainline fleet as it was a cost that could not be justified until the end of the covid chaos. It’s not the cost of running the installed equipment, but the cost of buying the content.

 

[RichardMEL]

Pretty sure the ipads were taken off the 717's a long time pre covid. Maybe even around the time the 767's were retired and the 330's received the new upgrades to get screens etc (and streaming was offered on BYOD). I imagine the cost, damage and people trying to nick the ipads (despite the security features) would have all been factors.

 

[milehighclub]

I don’t know if this is the reason or not, but I did hear that IFE was curtailed on the mainline fleet as it was a cost that could not be justified until the end of the covid chaos. It’s not the cost of running the installed equipment, but the cost of buying the content.

This did happen at the start but they have it all back online again since the start of the Tasman bubble on all 737/787/330

 

[Mattg]

It was never across the entire fleet.

IFE was only on the 717 aircraft configured with J.

Yes, I did mean the 2-class 717s.

Pretty sure the ipads were taken off the 717's a long time pre covid. Maybe even around the time the 767's were retired and the 330's received the new upgrades to get screens etc (and streaming was offered on BYOD). I imagine the cost, damage and people trying to nick the ipads (despite the security features) would have all been factors.

Yes, that is also my understanding. But until COVID (at least, as far as I remember) you could still stream IFE content to your own device via the Qantas Entertainment App on the 2-class 717s. Now, you can't even do that (despite streaming being available again on the 737s & A330s since April 2021).

FWIW, since COVID it looks like Qantas has also now removed the iPads from the A330-200s without seatback screens installed in Economy. I flew on VH-EBJ the other day and had to stream the IFE content to my phone.

 

[Scarlett]

Does anyone know what happened? How did it go backwards from Qantas-supplied iPads with streaming to nothing at all?

Because QF have listened to customer feedback and have ENHANCED their onboard offerings to best meet what their passengers want!


Of course.


I know that I've personally provided feedback on multiple occasions about the inconvenience of IFE on what are generally short sectors, what with all the announcements and preparing the cabin for landing and such. Plus the weight, bulk, and general user unfriendly setup of ipads. It's just too much...

The above statements may contain alternative facts.

 

[Seat0B]

Data points - I’ve made 4 flights this year in J on B717 and none of these flights had any IFE. Last flight was 3 weeks ago. Pre-COVID, there was always IFE in 2 class B717s. The Ipads went out several years back.

 

[Mattg]

Looks like they've stopped advertising that IFE will be available on 717 flights on the Qantas website. So, at least it's not false advertising. But doesn't fill me with confidence that it will ever be back. It seems to have been removed permanently without any sort of announcement.

 

[Mattg]

Streaming entertainment is now magically coming back.

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/inflight-entertainment-on-every-qantaslink-jet/

QantasLink’s jet aircraft are set to receive an A-list upgrade with the regional airline to progressively roll out inflight entertainment streamed to customers’ own devices from the end of September onwards.

For the first time customers travelling on more than 50 Boeing 717, Fokker 100, Airbus A320 and Alliance Airline’s Embraer E190 aircraft will soon be able to stream more than 2,500 hours of premiere movies including Cruella and Black Widow, binge-worthy TV series such as Billions and Mare of Easttown and audiobooks via the Qantas Entertainment app to their own personal device.

Customers will also have access to more content through streaming partner Stan, including exclusive TV shows and Stan Original films.

The entertainment upgrade begins on one of QantasLink’s A320 aircraft this week, with the streaming technology to be progressively installed across all QantasLink jet aircraft by the second half of 2022.

Although, this line from yesterday's press release is questionable:

Inflight entertainment via the Qantas Entertainment App is currently offered on QantasLink’s dual-cabin 717 aircraft

Umm - as we've already established in this thread, no it's not.

 

[jakeseven7]

Streaming entertainment is now magically coming back.

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/inflight-entertainment-on-every-qantaslink-jet/

Although, this line from yesterday's press release is questionable:



Umm - as we've already established in this thread, no it's not.

Well as borders open in the next few months the QFLink fleet well get a thrashing from all the demand so makes sense to get them ready and continue to carve the top end of the market for themselves.

 

[Mattg]

I was on two QantasLink 717s today. The first aircraft, VH-YQU did not have any streaming entertainment available. The second aircraft, VH-YQW, did. So seems like a bit of a mixed bag at this point.

 

[Lynda2475]

I find it easier to pre download content from Netflix/Stan/Prime/Disney onto my own tablet to watch on flights that way the entertainment doesn't get interrupted by cabin announcements and I know i have something I actually want to watch. the IFE streaming is really hit and miss and pretty much just Foxtel; or Stan content anyway.

 

[Mattg]

Well I had a 717 yesterday with Q-Streaming available. But any time I tried to play something, I got this error message:



My Qantas Entertainment app is fully updated, so I'm not sure what the issue was.

 

[jrfsp]

Are the ipads back on the A330s?

 

[Mattg]

Are the ipads back on the A330s?

Yes, they were two weeks ago on my A330 flight MEL-SYD. (Still no ipads on the 717s though.)

 

[moa999]

Suspect the original iPads would be struggling battery wise by now.

Think it was always part of a trial to push people to BYO. Particularly now half the 737 fleet (over half if you exclude international routes where they try and out the newer aircraft with IFE) is that.

Will be interesting to see what Qantas does with its 321XLRs particularly as the first few seem to be configured for a mostly domestic life.
(American Airline has been very much going down the BYO route for domestic aircraft)

 

[Quickstatus]

I don’t see the point of IFE on short haul. On these flights, BYO should be the default.

What about inflight wifi?

Combine BYO and inflight wifi. Passengers bring their own content

 

[Mattg]

No IFE on my QantasLink E190 flight last week. Was a 4-hour flight.