Qantas using 737 without seatback IFE for international flights?

[Mattg]

Regular Qantas flyers will know that around half of QF's Boeing 737-800 fleet has seatback in-flight entertainment screens. The older half does not, but these (until recently) have been used exclusively for domestic flights.

I've noticed that Qantas recently started using VH-VZA on trans-Tasman flights, as well as to places like Samoa.

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Did this plane get refurbished? Or is Qantas now running 737s without entertainment (other than streaming/Wi-Fi) on trans-Tasman and international routes?

 

[SJF211]

They’ve been doing it for a bit atleast. VZD/E does the DRW-SIN on occasion. My friend flew on VX* something, delta maybe over the Christmas period to NZ.

 

[serfty]

Regular Qantas flyers will know that around half of QF's Boeing 737-800 fleet has seatback in-flight entertainment screens. The older half does not, but these (until recently) have been used exclusively for domestic flights.

I've noticed that Qantas recently started using VH-VZA on trans-Tasman flights, as well as to places like Samoa.

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The world’s most popular flight tracker. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information.

www.flightradar24.com

Did this plane get refurbished? Or is Qantas now running 737s without entertainment (other than streaming/Wi-Fi) on trans-Tasman and international routes?

Matters little these days - unless you are looking for one of the new releases or maybe the map, you generally need personal IFE to watch most offerings.

Thread 'Qantas Trans Tasman Pretend IFE'

Feb 4, 2024

First saw it last week. Frustrated as I was on a window seat and had left any BYOD up top.

I saw in seat screens and had no thought to BYOD so seated myself appropriately.

Seems that unless you want to watch one of a small group of programs, even if IFE appears to be available it's may be BYOD. And you can't tell until you select anything.

• serfty
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

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[Harrison_133]

Did this plane get refurbished? Or is Qantas now running 737s without entertainment (other than streaming/Wi-Fi) on trans-Tasman and international routes?

Yes, they've been running 737s without PTVs on trans-Tasman and international since at least last year.

VZA-VZE are the aircraft.

 

[Beano]

WLG-BNE, WLG-MEL and WLG-SYD afternoon flights, all had seat back entertainment, but they are now inviting you to use your own device but no seat back holder. I notice one on a Dash 8 but not am EM 190.

 

[moa999]

From the inflight internet thread appears all 737s should now (or shortly have) Trans Tasman internet access (unclear if all the way to Samoa).

The new 321XLRs also won't have seatback IFE, and the younger 737s will have it removed in the next refurb

 

[JohnPhelan]

Matters little these days - unless you are looking for one of the new releases or maybe the map, you generally need personal IFE to watch most offerings.

Thread 'Qantas Trans Tasman Pretend IFE'

Feb 4, 2024

First saw it last week. Frustrated as I was on a window seat and had left any BYOD up top.

I saw in seat screens and had no thought to BYOD so seated myself appropriately.

Seems that unless you want to watch one of a small group of programs, even if IFE appears to be available it's may be BYOD. And you can't tell until you select anything.

• serfty
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

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• 
• 

Yes, this is really annoying me. I found some shows I wanted to watch, and the seats had the PTVs, but all of the shows I liked had this message! What's the point? If it's available to be streamed, why can't it be streamed to the PTVs?? Or available via the cabling which carries other shows to your seat?

 

[SeatBackForward]

Yes, this is really annoying me. I found some shows I wanted to watch, and the seats had the PTVs, but all of the shows I liked had this message! What's the point? If it's available to be streamed, why can't it be streamed to the PTVs?? Or available via the cabling which carries other shows to your seat?

Much like many things across Qantas, the delivery doesn't meet the promises, and it's not just a case of a one-off failure or issue,.

 

[kpro]

What's the point? If it's available to be streamed, why can't it be streamed to the PTVs?? Or available via the cabling which carries other shows to your seat?

I think I've mentioned this in the other thread, but my theory is the seat-end screen+computer can't decode modern codecs such as MPEG4 or HEVC which are potentially half the file size of MPEG2.
The server end on the 737's likely has limited space and QF decided they could fit in more content if they did stored only the most popular in a legacy codec and the others in a more efficient one. So you need a more modern device - IE your phone or tablet to be able to play the other stuff.

Simplified version:
The seatback screens are old and can’t play newer, space-saving video formats.
The plane’s server has limited capacity and stores the most popular stuff in the old format for the screens, and the rest in the new format.
Phones/tablets can play the new format, so QF ask you to stream for that type of content.

 

[Beano]

Today WLG-MEL VH-VZD no seat back screens. All BYOD. The thing that annoyed me was that there was no 240 power outlet, which you got on the older aircraft. Also Wi-Fi stopped working for quite a while. Even though they announced here might be an interruption as we approached Australia, they didn't hint that it would be quite some time.

 

[Berlin]

I might be the only one but I LOVE staring at the map during most of my flights so I definitely miss the fixed screens. But admittedly, this is more important on long haul trips than trans-Tasman where it’s pretty much a straight shoot over water.

 

[kpro]

I might be the only one but I LOVE staring at the map during most of my flights so I definitely miss the fixed screens.

The entertainment app now has a map as well, it's interactive and much better then the one on the IFE screens. Though I couldn't seem to find a way to pull up info on distance, time of arrival ETC.

 

[Beano]

I might be the only one but I LOVE staring at the map during most of my flights so I definitely miss the fixed screens. But admittedly, this is more important on long haul trips than trans-Tasman where it’s pretty much a straight shoot over water.

me too. I have to rely on flightradar24!

 

[Berlin]

me too. I have to rely on flightradar24!

Actually- Flightradar is super fascinating in foreign (and ideally busy) airspaces if there’s good WiFi on board. Sometimes a bit nerve wrecking even, if you’re over some far away country and there’s another plane about to cross your path on the exactly the same hight But I could do it for hours!

 

[henrus]

Also Wi-Fi stopped working for quite a while.

I'm now a couple of flights on 737 internationally and the wifi drop is 5 mins max so if longer I suspect something else was at play. That being said I do think on one of my devices I had to watch the ad again so when it does drop it pays to wait 5 mins then hit up the wifi.qantas.com website again.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I might be the only one but I LOVE staring at the map during most of my flights

When I'm lucky enough to be in J , I usually get working away on the laptop and have the screen only on the map, in fact these days with downloaded movies on devices etc, the map *is* the main function of the screen - that and the "Remaining flight time".