Qantas free WiFi on domestic trips to feature Foxtel, Netflix, Spotify

Qantas passengers will have ­access via free Wi-Fi services in first sign it might be phasing out in-flight entertainment systems.

A Qantas Boeing 737 being fitted with hardware needed for high-speed inflight wi-fi, set to be rolled out on all domestic flights, with deals on content inked with Foxtel, Netflix and Spotify. Picture: Supplied

Qantas passengers will have ­access to Foxtel, Netflix and Spot­ify from 30,000 feet when the airline launches its free in-flight Wi-Fi services later this year.

The airline is putting the finishing touches on the first of 80 domestic aircraft — a mix of Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 planes — that will be fitted with National Broadband Network-supplied Wi-Fi services.

To launch the service, Qantas has partnered with pay-TV operator Foxtel, streaming giant Netflix and subscription music service Spotify to give its customers ­access to their vast libraries of content.

Among the content offerings, Foxtel will give passengers a free three-day trial of its app and suite of content, including live sport from the AFL, NRL and A-League, whenever they fly domestically with Qantas.

Netflix and Spotify will offer customers access to their ­libraries as part of a 30-day free trial.

Streaming of Sky News Australia will also be available.

Qantas will also feature real-time flight data; hotel, restaurant and transport options; the latest weather; and personalised information linked to a passenger’s itinerary and Frequent Flyer ­account.

The airline is in talks with other content providers to flesh out the range of content it will be able to stream to its flying passengers.

The service is still in trial mode but it’s expected the first aircraft to roll it out will be ready by the end of this month. Qantas’s domestic fleet of Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 planes will be equipped over the next 18 months. International routes will be trialled after the domestic rollout.

Qantas’s content deals could be the first sign the airline is looking to one day phase out its in-flight entertainment systems.

American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, earlier this year announced it was scrapping its in-flight entertainment screens on its new fleet of Boeing 737 Max aircraft being delivered this year.

Instead of investing in back-seat monitors, the airline has decided to improve in-flight internet speed so passengers can stream and download movies and TV shows on to their own devices.

Airlines will be able to save money by doing this as they spend millions of dollars every year upgrading in-flight entertainment systems.

A Qantas spokesman said the airline had made no decisions about the long-term plans for its entertainment systems.

The Qantas Wi-Fi service will be delivered by US company ViaSat, which will use the NBN’s satellite service to deliver download speeds of around 12 megabits per second.

Qantas will be able to deliver Wi-Fi on aircraft anywhere in Australia as the NBN’s satellite system covers the continent and its island territories.

The service will use spare capacity on the NBN satellite, ensuring customers on the ground get priority over people in the sky.