Steve Creedy, Aviation writer

March 31, 2005

LOW-COST carriers are launching an assault on in-flight boredom as Jetstar and Pacific Blue vie to become the first Australian airline to introduce portable digital entertainment systems.

Both airlines said yesterday they had signed contracts to introduce ``digEplayers`` - portable video-on-demand units that enable passengers to watch movies and TV shows and listen to music.

The players are among a series of improvements being introduced or considered by the low-cost carriers as they battle for market share. Others include hot lunches and more flexible full-fare tickets.

The battery-powered units combine a 40Gb hard drive with a small screen and typically hold 10 films, eight sitcoms and 100 audio tracks.

They have been used successfully by airlines in the US and Europe but this is believed to be the first time the players have been introduced by carriers based in the southern hemisphere.

The players are designed to sit on a tray table and can be shared by two people using a headphone adapter. Jetstar will charge $5 on short flights and $10 on longer flights, such as Melbourne-Cairns. Pacific Blue will ask $12 on flights to New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.

Both airlines will update programs every 60 days. The Jetstar units, which will be available on its Airbus A320s, will come with complimentary disposable headsets.

The carriers hope to have the first units in aircraft from late May and Pacific Blue says it will have 60 units available on each flight from June 13.

The Virgin Blue offshoot confirmed it was not introducing the live cable television programming planned for aircraft on the domestic airline because of problems with satellite coverage over the Tasman and the Pacific.