Qantas completes installation of next generation on-board WiFi on 737-800

Qantas announced (15-Nov-2016) it completed a successful Wi-Fi hardware installation on its trial Boeing 737-800 in early Nov-2016. The aircraft has re-entered commercial service, but will operate for a few months without the Wi-Fi being available. in the interim, Qantas and technology partner ViaSat will do a number of ground and inflight tests of the new Wi-Fi system before making it available for customers early in 2017. This follows several rounds of testing which have already been performed on the ground. The Wi-Fi service will feature speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional on-board Wi-Fi, giving customers the ability to stream movies, TV shows, the latest news bulletins and live sports. Qantas is rolling out Wi-Fi across its domestic 737-800 and Airbus A330 fleet. The hardware fitout to the entire domestic fleet of 737 and A330 aircraft is planned to start in mid-2017, and is expected to be completed in 2018. [more - original PR]