Earlier today Qantas opened the doors of it’s WiFi internet enabled Boeing 737 to the media for the first external tests of the Internet system installed for passengers to get complete connectivity in the air.
Right now, passengers on-board QF469 are the first real customers to get their hands on with this high-tech plane.
QF6160 with media on board flew South from Sydney to the Victorian border then back up via Canberra giving plenty of time to test the speed and reliability of the service.
As expected with Satellite internet the latency (Ping) response is quite slow, but the download speeds were quite good hitting well above anything seen on traditional in-flight WiFi.
Uploads however were not great, again, typical with Satellite, and not really required for basic services on board, nor a huge issue for Streaming services like Stan or Netflix.
As QF469 takes to the air we’ll be seeing messages and tweets from real-world passengers for the first time and Qantas will be watching eagerly to see how they respond.
No schedule for the aircraft’s weekend movements can yet be seen, but if you want to know where the plane is right now and see where it’s been and where it’s going you can find out if your flight will be WiFi enabled with Qantas by checking the status of the single aircraft currently equipped at this link.
