iPad to fly by budget airline
update Australian budget airline, Jetstar Airways, has announced plans to pilot the use of Apple's iPad tablet as an in-flight entertainment device.
In a statement Tuesday, the Qantas subsidiary said passengers will be able to rent the device for AUD$10 (US$8.5) for the duration of the flight to access content including movies, e-books, TV programs, games and music.
A Jetstar spokesperson told ZDNet Asia that the trial will run for a fortnight toward the end of June on selected domestic routes across Australia, with 30 units of the iPad available for rent on each aircraft. Details of future rollouts will be confirmed after completion of the trial.
Noting the high market demand for iPads, CEO Bruce Buchanan said in statement that the carrier is anticipating "strong appeal amongst our passengers" for the tablet.
If this demand proves sufficient during the trial, the service will be extended across the airline's entire domestic and international network later this year, Buchanan said.
The trial is supported via a partnership with in-flight entertainment service providers Bluebox Avionics and Stellar Inflight.
Available in the United States since Apr. 3, the iPad was launched in international markets including Germany, France, Japan, Australia and Canada last week. Its availability will be extended to nine additional countries next month including Singapore, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Apple this week said 2 million iPads have been sold since its launch, half of which were shipped within the first 28 days.