Qantas’s Jetstar to Test Apple IPads for Inflight Entertainment
By Robert Fenner
June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Jetstar, the budget carrier of Qantas Airways Ltd., will commence a trial of Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet computers for inflight entertainment later this month.
The airline will charge passengers A$10 ($8.40) to use the iPads for movies, books, games and television programs, Melbourne-based Jetstar said in an e-mailed statement today. Internet browsing will be disabled in keeping with the airline’s policy on use of mobile phones and computers, spokeswoman Andrea Wait said.
Apple, which introduced the iPad in Australia last week, has sold more than 2 million globally in the first 60 days since the computer made its debut on April 3. Jetstar has bought “several hundred” devices, which will be available on flights lasting more than 90 minutes, according to Wait.
“Given the demand for the iPad so far, I anticipate it will have strong appeal amongst our passengers,” Jetstar Chief Executive Officer Bruce Buchanan said in the statement. “Based on demand for the iPads as part of the trial, we’ll be looking to roll out the devices across our entire domestic and international network later in the year.”
The iPad has a 9.7-inch touch-screen display that lets users read books and magazines, view videos and play games.
Apple is now the world’s most valuable technology company, with a market value of about $234 billion. It last week surpassed Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, which is worth about $226 billion.
--Editors: Ian Rowley, Aaron Sheldrick.
To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Fenner in Melbourne rfenner@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Neil Denslow at ndenslow@bloomberg.net
, a Qantas owned Australian low-cost airline, has announced plans to trial Apple  as an in-flight entertainment option. This trial would make Jetstar one of the first airlines in the world to offer the iPad.

Starting later this month, Jetstar plans to begin a two-week trial, during which passengers will have the option to rent iPads for 10 on domestic flights longer than an hour. Thirty iPads would be available on each test plane. These devices would be preloaded with games, e-books, music and video content. Internet access however will be disabled as per Jetstar's policy on internet connected devices, said spokeswoman Andrea Wait. 

The iPads offered by Jetstar, will be specially customized by . Bluebox Avionics, at present, is the only company to offer iPads as part of an in-flight entertainment system. Jetstar will be the first to offer the Bluebox Avionics iPad based systems, though, Bluebox Avionics has said the system will be available to other airlines soon.

Shortly following the initial release of the iPad, Jetstar chief information officer Stephen Tame speculated that the iPad "may lead in the future the end of airline in-flight entertainment systems". Depending on the results of the trial, iPads may replace existing Jetstar in-flight entertainment systems.

Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan said he expected the iPads to be very popular during the trial. If the trial is successful, the airline would “be looking to roll out the devices across our entire domestic and international network later in the year", said Buchanan.