Beginning September 1st, Hawaiian Airlines will begin offering iPad minis as the in-flight entertainment on some of its routes. This is a first for a United States-based airline.
The change will take place on all 767-300 aircraft. Across 14 planes and 14 routes ranging between Hawaii, the continental United States, and countries in Asia, 1500 iPad minis will be deployed.
“Hawaiian Airlines‘ signature on-board hospitality is already very popular with travelers, but we wanted to go even further to ensure our customers’ travel experience is more enjoyable,” said Blaine Miyasato, Hawaiian Airlines vice president of product development. “With the help of Bluebox Avionics, we’re building on our acclaimed inflight service by incorporating the latest in popular consumer tech products to enhance our in-flight entertainment options.”
The small tablets will have the ability to access recently released movies, TV shows, and various games. The devices will be available free in Hawaiian Airline’s Business Class, but will require an additional charge in other seating tiers. The iPad mini will cost those passengers $15 for a pre-reserved device, or $17 if it is requested during the flight. The previous in-flight entertainment systems, which are bring replaced by the iPad mini, were priced at $15 per flight.
The iPad mini will be available on the following routes:
Hawaiian Airlines currently operates the wide-body, twin-aisle Boeing 767-300 aircraft between Honolulu and Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Seattle, Phoenix in the U.S.; Fukuoka and Sendai, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Brisbane, Australia; Papeete, Tahiti; and Pago Pago, American Samoa. In addition, Hawaiian Airlines B767 routes also include service between Kahului, Maui and San Jose, Oakland and Seattle.
In March, Australian airline Qantas announced it had begun equipping its planes with iPads for use as in-flight entertainment.
