AliMay

Hi I just need this info in a hurry and know that they'll be some lovely person on here that will save a trawl through the internet.

Do all quantas flights out of Heathrow to Perth via Singapore have seat back computers now?
What about BA?

Thanks very much for any help
Ali (in a hurry)

annajw

I've heard that QANTAS have quite an old fleet, so you may not be guaranteed a seat back screen, see also Thai.

Emirates, Cathay, Singapore and Malaysian are all more up to date.

the Brady gang

Long haul flights to Oz. I travelled with both BA and Quantas a couple of years ago and they both had TV on back of chair, great movie selection too.

OzTennis

Just to add - MALAYSIA have a mixture of old planes and new planes (old 747-400's to KL, modern 777's to Oz from KL) so you get old and new type entertainment with them. Great airline though, I've used all the above and BA and Qantas and would rank Emirates and Malaysia as the best 2 FWIW (BA, Qantas in equal last place). But hey, they all get you there, have good safety records, you'll get some entertainment and you won't exactly starve or not be able to slake your thirst.

OzTennis

Flying Banana

Qantas (BA may have updated their system but it was the same last time I worked on one) Jumbos have the Rockwell Collins Total Entertainment System, Economy seats have a 6" seatback screen, business and first have a 10" screen. It is an interactive system with 18 channels of movies and TV plus the moving map and a news channel. The content is still on videos so the crew start it and it will run to the end of the program and then rewind. First Class seats additionally have a personal Hi8 video player in each seat with a selection of movies not available in cattle or business class. There are a selection of Games available (albeit nothing particularly up to date) plus about 16 channels of CD quality audio programming. Each seat has a pull out remote control style handset which doubles as a Game controller and on the reverse side is a phone, you can call other seats in the plane (only if they have it turned on too, or call a landline at US$10 a minute :scared: There is one Qantas Jumbo which has just come out of the hangers with a new AVOD (video on demand system) where all the content is stored digitally which means from any seat in the plane you can pick what to watch, when to watch it and can stop, ffwd, rwd the film/channel etc. This updated system also has a digital music CD library and more channels available. All the jumbos are due to be updated as they go through their maintenance checks but it is going to take some time before they are all done.

Qantas' Airbus A330's have a much newer AVOD system installed again with more channels and the ability to watch what you want when you want it.

No internet access onboard as yet but business and first seats have laptop power supplies (which use a standard Aussie 240V plug not the airline specific plugs some airlines use).

Whatever version you get there should be enough to keep you occupied for quite some time (and no pouring drinks or stuffing crisps in the handset holder in the arm as I'm one of the lucky buggers who gets to put it back together again )

AliMay

Hi thanks for all the replies.
Quantas BA are coming up cheapest for Christmassy flights. WE always travel emirates or singapore but this is to get some of our family ( including 4 kids) out to see us. The seatback entertainment would be a real bonus-but the price is a biggy. I'm still tryiing to persuade them that 20 hours is an OK flight time.
Ali

annajw

Qantas

Its an acronym

/pedant

AliMay

WOW- brilliant info Ta Ali and Karma for this one

AliMay

Tanks for pointing that out

OzTennis

Queensland And Northern Territory AirwayS - pick out the caps.

OzTennis

worzel

Being really really pedantic but it is "Aerial Services" at the end

annajw

Excellent. Someone worse than me!

OzTennis

You are right and me an Aussie too and I was taught Aerial Services in primary school. Longreach in Queensland and all that.

OzTennis

worzel

I wondered why they had "Longreach" on the side of planes. I assumed it meant they had large fuel tanks to go further without stopping

OzTennis

Good one! I was a bit worried when I got on the Malaysia flight recently and it said Kota Kinabalu on the side - we're going to Melbourne!

OzTennis