Man Boards Flight, Nothing Prepares Him for What’s in the Seat in Front

A flight passenger was taken aback when he boarded his flight and discovered what was available for the in-flight entertainment.
Jeffrey, 36, from Sydney, Australia, was flying home from Brisbane on a Qantas Airways flight when he was surprised by what was in front of him; an iPad for in-flight entertainment instead of a traditional built-in screen.
Jeffrey, who didn’t wish to give his surname, told Newsweek it was a “good initiative” but said that he thinks it could be “implemented better, especially the charging situation so people don’t have to disconnect them for take off/landing.”
More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel
In a Reddit post, Jeffrey shared a photo of the iPad fitting into a gap in the seat in front of him. In another two photos, he shows how the device comes out of the seat and the range of films available for him to watch.
“[I] got into a Brisbane to Sydney flight today and remembered that post talking about the a330 [airliner] not having screens anymore. They have now put iPads on every seat,” Jeffrey wrote in the post.
“They then ask every passenger to put them in the seat pockets for take off/landing,” he added in the comments section of the post.
A spokesperson for Qantas told Newsweek that “some of our A330s have iPads at every seat in Economy.”
“[It] has been this way for many years,” the spokesperson added. “The iPads are equipped with a full range of in-flight entertainment content.”
More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Best Travel Insurance Companies
Qantas is the flagship air carrier of Australia and the largest in the country in terms of fleet. In 2023, Quantas carried 45.63 million passengers.
As well as domestic flights in Australia, Qantas flies to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, France, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Chile, Italy, and Indonesia.
“[It is] definitely a better alternative to the outdated built-in screens,” Jeffrey told Newsweek.
More From Newsweek Vault: Best Card to Pair with the Chase Sapphire Reserve
Other Reddit users took to the comments section to share their thoughts. “Is this the first time you’ve seen this? They’ve had this on select flights for many years,” wrote u/AgreeablePudding9925.
Another, u/dreamthiliving posted: “I found these much better especially with kids. Very easy to use and you can move them around to suit how you want to use them. You can even stick your own iPad/tablet in the slots if you prefer to use that.”
Some were unimpressed with the in-flight entertainment facilities. “This is the worst,” added u/duckiest.
Has a dream vacation turned into a nightmare? Whether it’s a missed flight or lost luggage, we want to hear about your travel disasters. Let us know via [email protected], and your story could be featured on Newsweek.