If you happen to be flying on the wifi-testing Virgin Australia plane, make sure you fire up your devices as there's three months free of Netflix, Stan and Pandora for even existing customers. For those who understands out there, the wifi testing plane is VH-YIG.
Hat-tip to AusBT
Update August: Pandora has shut down in Australia and will no longer be usable.
Qantas said this too but there's no way the bandwidth from Sky Muster adds up.
Unless they're going to start locally caching content.
If they're not caching it locally on the plane, which they probably will to as well, they're definitely compressing it or restricting the quality to content being viewed or listened to.
I'd say they'd be caching it locally - they actually install their own CDN's inside many ISP's to get better speeds, so I wouldn't put it past them to have a cache for in flight
You can cache netflix videos on the app before you fly :)
Sure, but that's nothing to do with the inflight WiFi then.
Only on mobile devices, you can't cache it on your laptop.
Pretty sure it is possible in the windows 8/10 app.
@reubot: Yes, I just discovered this last weekend. It's first time I've had a use for the Windows App Store.
Title should be more specific as it is very very limited.
Do you get free 3 months each time you fly in that plane?
It's about to do a Brisbane -> Sydney!
Someone want to log into my account and add the 3 months free? ;)
Sure, what's your PayPal password?
Sure, my password is **********
******
Wow! Ozbargain has a special algorithm to censor passwords…
Eg. *******
I cant see your example :(
Crap, that's my password as well.
I smell a business opportunity.
Books flight
Posts new deal offering three months of Netflix for $15
'Buys multiple phones for ≈$50 for the offer to work
'Loses money
Why would you need to buy multiple phones? Makes no sense.
Accounts allocated based on IMEI AND MAC ADDRESSES
meaning the offer can only be redeemed once per device…
Too much effort…
TLDR:
If you're flying Virgin, and there's a Wi-fi Quick Reference Guide, in your seat pocket.
1) Follow the instruction to connect to the wifi service
2) Fire up your browser (where you'll be asked to enter a Captcha code to connect.
3) Click on any of the offers to get Pandora/Netflix/Stan login & you'll get 3mths free (well Stan you need to be a new customer).
Downside it's apparently it's only on one plane.
(as mentioned by f4te you can see where it's travelling on here - bugga i was going to be on it tomorrow, but switched to an earlier flight)
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/vh-yig
I live near the airport, and planes sometimes come over at close to 100m height. I wonder how quickly I can connect to Virgin Australia's WiFi next time they fly over my house :)
Do you live in the terminal
No, a few kilometres from the landing strip, literally right underneath the flight path. Planes often come in lower than they are supposed to, especially when the weather is bad and the wind is strong. I have seen a 747 pass our house at a height than cannot have been more than 80 metres or so….
Admittedly, I did consider earlier whether it is worth driving to the airport and trying to get a signal from a Virgin plane, but the parking costs offset any potential savings.
Do you know anyone who owns Jousting sticks?
You'll find it hard to get any signal even standing next to the plane - the body acts like a faraday cage
Attach your phone to one of those quadcopter things and control the phone remotely. Fly it near a plane and .. oh wait.. and yeah.. get arrested LOL
Tell you you're dreamin'
What if you get close enough to connect without actually flying? I going to jump the fence and sneak onto the tarmac to avoid buying a ticket.
That's the spirit.
Usually the signal's strong enough for you to connect to it without have to be physically on the plane i.e. be in the terminal might be close enough.
and we shall see you in OZNews soon enough for sure….
With the time and effort and the risk taken compared whether its worth it or not, I will say
OZjail
Didn't they just announced that all electronic devices are banned, meaning no phones, no tablet and no laptop on the flight?
Nope. Fake news.
Sad.
Hope you enjoy your trip in the air for 3 months…
Posting this from vhyig, net is quite decent. Able to whatsapp video call with decent quality. Claimed the $36 of netflix credit. Everything is coming up milhouse
Also posting from the flight. The Netflix and Pandora promotions appear to work numerous times. Just use incognito
I redeemed 6 Months of Netflix using both my Windows Laptop and Jumped on my Missus Macbook Air and got another 3 Months. Credited me $41.32x2 so pretty happy with that !!
can you access the australian stan and netflix from overseas while on holidays or do they block it still?
Flew from bne to per last night and found there was free internet. Registered all my family devices to my Netflix account got 1 year free Netflix with $41.97 for every 3 months.
Just got this deal on a flight to brisbane. Virgin and OP, my credit card thanks you!
I’m on a flight with wifi now and don’t see this offer. I think it’s over. Probably ended on start of this FY.
Yeah I'm wondering the same thing. WiFi has now expanded to 24/69 of virgins 737's.
Does this mean they're going to drop the terrible Lufthansa video app and let you watch Netflix on your byod instead?