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For many travellers, long-haul flights are prime time for catching up on the latest movies or binge-watching nostalgic TV series. There’s something so novel about swiping through the menu, slipping on your headphones and disappearing into another world as the hours tick by. But if you’re a fan of the seatback TVs, this familiar ritual could soon be a thing of the past…
Jetstar is shaking up in-flight entertainment on long-haul flights, ditching seatback entertainment screens altogether.
Many overseas budget airlines, like Scoot and Ryanair, don’t offer built-in screens and in-flight entertainment, with other carriers relying on app-based streaming instead. Jetstar is set to follow suit when it rolls out its revamped Boeing 787 Dreamliners from March this year.
All 11 Dreamlines are getting a full cabin makeover, featuring brand-new seats, updated plane layouts, double the business class capacity and Wi-Fi connectivity. Seatback TVs will be replaced with device holders, two USB-C ports and much faster charging – up to 60W compared to the previous 15W.
The first refurbished aircraft is set to arrive back from Hong Kong in March and is currently scheduled to operate routes between Australia and Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. A new Melbourne-Colombo, Sri Lanka service will also join the network from August.
Instead of seatback entertainment screens, Jetstar passengers will be able to buy Wi-Fi onboard to stream entertainment on their own devices – whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or laptop. As for the entertainment options, Jetstar has organised them into three categories:
- Free Zone: Flight map, destination info, Jetstar TV, Spotlight Selection and more
- Streaming-plus: Stream, browse, access our in-flight entertainment and stay connected with unlimited data
- Social-plus: Access social media, browse, enjoy our in-flight entertainment and stay connected
Passengers can still enjoy a wide selection of new releases, classic movies and TV episodes. You can buy your preferred in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi option on board, with prices yet to be announced.
Just remember to BYO headphones, as Jetstar will no longer provide them as part of its push to reduce landfill.