Virgin’s In-Flight Tablet Testing Goes High-Gear In May


We learned back in February that Virgin Australia would be trialling the Samsung Galaxy Tab as an in-flight entertainment option, and that only business class passengers would be in the first round of testing. But it turns out the trial is even more restricted than that: it’s only running for a single week. Fortunately, there’s better news ahead.

Picture by Simon Sees

Virgin’s press announcement demonstrates the limited nature of the current trial, which relies on pre-loaded entertainment:

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be trialled in the Business Class cabin of selected flights on Boeing 737 and Embraer E190 aircraft and will run for one week until Monday 30th April 2012.

However, we won’t be waiting too long for a more slightly extensive trial:

The second instalment will begin in May 2012 with full commencement from June 2012 upon which Galaxy Tab 10.1’s will be offered to Flexi Fare guests travelling on flights over 3 hours, where available. In addition, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be offered to Economy guests for a fee for flights over 3 hours, subject to availability.

Virgin also reaffirmed its plans to implement in-flight Wi-Fi later this year.

Qantas’ own testing of in-flight entertainment is restricted in a different way: it has run since January, but only in a single B767-300. Jetstar meanwhile has been offering entertainment via iPads since November last year.


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