Vodafone data deal helps Qantas pilots with EFBs

A new partnership between Vodafone and Qantas will see pilots provided with greater mobility and flexibility.

Vodafone has created a roaming product that means Qantas pilots will not need to fill out paperwork or rely on Wi-Fi to complete their pre- and post-flight checks.

Leveraging on its extensive international roaming data network, which extends to more than 60 countries, the Vodafone custom-created plan includes a generous amount of domestic and international data to allow pilots to download their Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).

The EFB contains critical documents such as pre-flight plans, weather reports and pre-flight check lists, which can now be downloaded onto their iPads before each flight without needing to rely on Wi-Fi.

Vodafone’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ben McIntosh, said the partnership is a perfect fit for Vodafone and gives pilots more flexibility than ever before.

“This is a particularly exciting partnership for us because when we learnt about the challenge Qantas was looking to solve we immediately knew Vodafone had the solution,” he said.

“Leaving pilots to rely on Wi-Fi to do critical preparation before their flights is very restrictive and we knew that we could do better. With Vodafone’s new custom plan, pilots have the flexibility to securely carry out their work where it suits them, whether that’s in their hotel lobby, on the road to the airport or even in the cockpit.

“The partnership between Vodafone and Qantas will deliver increased productivity by ensuring that pilots are flexible and mobile while conducting their daily tasks. It will also mean reduced paperwork at each international destination and an overall more streamlined process for pre- and post-flight checks.”

The new plan was developed with the pilots’ specific connectivity needs in mind and trialled by 20 pilots, over a 12-month period.

Qantas’s Chief Technical Pilot, Captain Alex Passerini, said the partnership will allow pilots to stay focused on providing the best experience for Qantas customers.

“There’s a lot of preparation ahead of any flight and sourcing a reliable Wi-Fi connection is not always easy. Working with Vodafone means our pilots can stay connected and focus on getting away on time,” said Passerini.

“By combining Vodafone’s global presence with our expertise in providing reliable enterprise mobility solutions to businesses, we were able to provide Qantas with a tailored solution that allows pilots to focus on what’s important,” said McIntosh.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/manifeesto

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and bimonthly magazine.