The airline and online streaming service have teamed up to let passengers devour all that Netflix has to offer while flying on select planes in Virgin America’s fleet.
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“As Wi-Fi becomes more ubiquitous, it’s going to be increasingly possible for members to enjoy Netflix wherever they want”, says Bill Holmes, global head of Business Development at Netflix.
“For us, the future of streaming technology is about delivering an on-demand service that takes advantage of the expansion of WiFi to public places, parks and now airplanes”, Netflix said. To celebrate the inaugural voyage, actor Michael Kelly, who portrays Doug Stamper on the show, will offer “morally ambiguous political advice” over the aircraft’s intercom before takeoff.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Virgin America said that it has always been tech-conscious, with WiFi on every flight and power outlets at every seat.
For now, I think we can all agree that free Netflix on planes will at least stop us, in the short term, from feeling like we are hemorrhaging money through the millions in small fees airlines are now charging.
Virgin America will also offer the first three seasons of the Netflix original series House of Cards on its Red touchscreen seatback in-flight entertainment system.
Guests on aircraft equipped with the new ViaSat WiFi service will be notified by the Virgin America in-flight team that they can access high-speed WiFi.
Checking luggage might cost extra, but Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) customers can bring their subscriptions on board Virgin America (NASDAQ:VA) flights for free.
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Virgin America travelers will be able to stream TV shows such as “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” along with movies to their laptops, mobile devices or tablets, the companies stated. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
