Qantas to upgrade Boeing 737-800 fleet with additional seating and fleetwide IFE

Qantas Airways announced (31-Jul-2014) plans to reconfigure Boeing 737-800 fleet with six additional economy class seats and introduce wireless 'QStreaming' IFE on aircraft without the 'iQ' seatback system. Qantas Domestic CEO Lyell Strambi said the upgrade would commence in mid-2015 and be completed within 12 months: "This will allow customers to stream on-demand TVs, movies and music direct to their own laptops, tablets or smartphones. Pending approval from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, customers will be able to use their portable electronic devices in flight mode throughout the entire flight." The airline said 38 737s would receive QStreaming to supplement the screens that fold down from the ceiling while the remaining 29 aircraft fitted with seatback entertainment would receive only cabin modifications. Mr Strambi said the refurbishment would more efficiently use space onboard the aircraft: "We will add an additional six seats at the rear of the aircraft, which is made possible by changes to the galley and lavatory space. Importantly, there will be no change to the amount of seating space each customer has." The refurbishment will also refresh the look and feel of the cabin and improve seat comfort. According to the CAPA Fleets Database, Qantas' 737 fleet is currently configured with 12 business and 156 economy class seats. As previously reported by CAPA, the QStreaming system is provided by Panasonic and streams on-demand IFE content to passengers personal electronic devices. [more - original PR]