Travellers flying with Finnair will now have new iPads to play with. The carrier has announced iPads will be offered free of charge in their "via" Lounge, and on Helsinki-Hong Kong flights.
While Finnair flies exclusively through Europe and Asia, Australians can jet out with them on itineraries out of Australia shared with oneworld alliance partners Qantas, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Japan Airlines.
The iPads feature a range of entertainment options. This includes movies, TV shows, games, newspapers and magazines. The iPad touchscreen is a 25cm LCD display, larger than the screens of most in-flight entertainment systems, but smaller than an average laptop.
It's believed the free iPads are being offered to encourage more passengers to fly on Finnair's Helsinki-Hong Kong route. Whether Finnair is using this as a practical improvement to their current system, or if the airline is just looking to take advantage of hype surrounding the product, is not known.
The Finnish carrier isn't the first to offer Apple's tablet in the air. Last month, Australia's low-cost airline Jetstar announced recently that they too will offer the device for in-flight entertainment, albeit with a $10 charge.
iPad application developers are increasingly targeting the aviation market, with new apps even designed for pilots' flight navigation.
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