In a bold move, Aussie airline QANTAS has decided to skake up its classic in-flight entertainment option on all domestic flights from mid-2017. Instead, customers travelling on the major carrier will be required to use the in-cabin wi-fi to stream programs through their iPad or device.
QANTAS will have some devices on hand to supply to those passengers who do not have their own, and everyone will be able to take advantage of the new partnership between the airline and Foxtel, Netflix and Spotify.
This partnership was made in a bid to increase QANTAS’ catalogue of entertainment with customers able to access these usually paid subscription services free of charge during the flight.
However, only Foxtel will continue to remain free for subsequent journeys. Netflix and Spotify are each offering only a 30-day free trial, so if you travel on QANTAS outside of 30-days you will have to pay for these services which could set you back $14.99 a month for Netflix and around $13 for Spotify.
This announcement comes just after QANTAS made dramatic changes to its coveted Frequent Flyer program, which the company tried to keep under the radar.
From February 20, customers will need to use more points for a seat upgrade, with international flights hit the hardest.
Currently, an upgrade from a sale economy ticket to business class is 96,000 points on the Sydney to London flight, but from Monday it will increase to 120,000 points.
In a statement, QANTAS commented: “The number of Qantas Points required to secure an upgrade will better reflect the value of the commercial fare Qantas Frequent Flyer members have paid: the higher the fare paid, the lower the number of Qantas Points required to request an upgrade and vice versa.”
Meaning that if you score a deal and purchase an airfare on sale, you’ll be need to spend more points to upgrade.
Safe to say this price hike will hit budget travellers the hardest.
