Careening through the air 30,000 feet above the ground can be a brutal experience. To help us cope, airlines have evolved some pretty sophisticated on-demand entertainment in the form of games, movies, internet, and the occasional backrub. Here’s a look at some of the ambitious ideas that got us there, the failures along the way, and concepts we might see in the future.
     |
We know when you’re preparing for air travel, there are some things that run through your mind: did I forget my tooth brush? Should I bring cologne / perfume? Will I get lucky? Virgin America can’t help you with the first two problems, but they can now help you with the third issue.
Virgin America just launched a new service from Los Angeles to Las Vegas earlier this week, which is being used to roll out a new in-flight system which allows passengers to send anyone on their flight a drink, meal or snack. The seat-to-seat service is being introduced as a way for total strangers to treat one another to a delicious treat, which will hopefully engage in some kind of conversation through the in-flight system’s seat-to-seat chat and maybe even speaking face to face, that is, if whoever you sent the treat to isn’t married or repulsed by your offer. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Ethiopian Airlines First To Start Boeing 787 Dreamliner Commercial Flights, Twizy Renault Sport F1 Concept, 
| |
Qantas just upped the ante for its Australian counterparts Jetstar and Virgin in the airline tablet wars. Following an earlier trial, the transporter plans to hand out free iPads to all of its passengers — not just the high-flyers in business-class, like with Jetstar’s iPads or Virgin’s Galaxy Tabs — on every Boeing 767 aircraft in the fleet. The rollout, which starts in the last quarter of the year, will let those bored in the back seats watch an equally free 200 hours’ worth of QStreaming audio and video. Don’t confuse the gesture with a sudden bout of altruism on Qantas’ part, however. The pound-and-a-half weight of a current iPad sheds the tremendous amount of weight that would normally be needed for a conventional in-flight entertainment system built into the headrest, which on a typical 375-seat 767 could see the iPads pay for themselves within years, if not sooner. The option will give many Aussies something to look forward to for their domestic summer vacations. In the meantime, hop past the break for a Qantas video explaining how QStreaming worked during the original trial run.
Filed under: Tablet PCs, Transportation
Qantas to hand out free iPads to all passengers on Boeing 767s, save fuel and our sanity (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
