Air New Zealand switches on Starlink in domestic trial
Air New Zealand has launched its trial of Starlink high-speed in-flight wi-fi, switching on the service onboard an Airbus A320 (ZK-OXE) operating domestic services, with an ATR turboprop to join the trial later this month.
In-flight wi-fi is being offered free of charge during the trial, with the airline keen to assess how the service performs in real-world conditions and customer feedback before it makes any decision on a domestic fleet rollout.
'We look forward to hearing from our customers as they test out onboard wi-fi. Their feedback will help guide our decision-making as we consider connectivity options for our domestic fleet,' says Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar.
The airline will be the first to test Starlink on a turboprop aircraft when the ATR joins the trial.
Air New Zealand currently has in-flight connectivity services provided by Viasat on its international fleet, which the airline has previously said could come under review if the domestic Starlink trial proves successful.
SpaceX's Starlink has taken the in-flight connectivity world by storm since Hawaiian Airlines became the first major commercial airline to offer the service in early 2024.
Unlike earlier in-flight connectivity solutions using geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite constellations, Starlink's constellation is closer to Earth, in low Earth orbit (LEO), delivering high-speed and low-latency service, supporting in-flight live video streaming, live TV, social media, gaming and shopping.
Airlines already offering or committing to Starlink service include Air Baltic, Air France, Hawaiian Airlines, KLM, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, United Airlines and Zip Air.
United Airlines recently started offering Starlink service onboard its regional jets as part of a fleet rollout but switched off the service this month to address an interference issue with pilot communications.
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West Australian
10 hours ago
- West Australian
Air New Zealand switches on Starlink in domestic trial
Air New Zealand has launched its trial of Starlink high-speed in-flight wi-fi, switching on the service onboard an Airbus A320 (ZK-OXE) operating domestic services, with an ATR turboprop to join the trial later this month. In-flight wi-fi is being offered free of charge during the trial, with the airline keen to assess how the service performs in real-world conditions and customer feedback before it makes any decision on a domestic fleet rollout. 'We look forward to hearing from our customers as they test out onboard wi-fi. Their feedback will help guide our decision-making as we consider connectivity options for our domestic fleet,' says Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar. The airline will be the first to test Starlink on a turboprop aircraft when the ATR joins the trial. Air New Zealand currently has in-flight connectivity services provided by Viasat on its international fleet, which the airline has previously said could come under review if the domestic Starlink trial proves successful. SpaceX's Starlink has taken the in-flight connectivity world by storm since Hawaiian Airlines became the first major commercial airline to offer the service in early 2024. Unlike earlier in-flight connectivity solutions using geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite constellations, Starlink's constellation is closer to Earth, in low Earth orbit (LEO), delivering high-speed and low-latency service, supporting in-flight live video streaming, live TV, social media, gaming and shopping. Airlines already offering or committing to Starlink service include Air Baltic, Air France, Hawaiian Airlines, KLM, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, United Airlines and Zip Air. United Airlines recently started offering Starlink service onboard its regional jets as part of a fleet rollout but switched off the service this month to address an interference issue with pilot communications.
ABC News
20 hours ago
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Billions of logins for sites such as Google and Facebook leaked, compiled online
Billions of login credentials have been leaked and compiled into datasets online, giving criminals "unprecedented access" to accounts, according to new research from a cybersecurity publication. The research from Cybernews revealed that a total of 16 billion credentials were compromised, including user passwords for Google, Facebook and Apple. The report said the 30 exposed datasets each contained a vast amount of login information and the leaked information did not span from a single source, such as one breach targeting a company. Instead, it appears that the data was stolen through multiple events over time and then compiled and briefly exposed publicly, which is when Cybernews reports that its researchers discovered it. Various infostealers were most likely the culprit, Cybernews noted. Infostealers are a form of malicious software that breach a victim's device or systems to take sensitive information. Many questions remain about these leaked credentials, including whose hands the login credentials are in now. Sixteen billion is roughly double the amount of people on Earth today, signalling that impacted consumers may have had credentials for more than one account leaked. Cybernews also noted that there were most certainly duplicates in the data and so "it's impossible to tell how many people or accounts were actually exposed". As more information comes to light, experts continue to stress the importance of maintaining key "cyber hygiene." Some things you can do to prevent your data from being exposed include changing your password — and avoiding using the same or similar login credentials on multiple sites. Password managers or pass keys exist if you find it too hard to memorise all your different passwords. Multi-factor authentication can also serve as a second layer of verification through your phone, email or a USB authenticator key. AP
ABC News
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Dozens of flights cancelled as Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts
About three three dozen flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled or delayed following a massive eruption of one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spewed hot ash and smoke reaching 10,000 metres high when it erupted on Tuesday evening, affecting airspace between the two countries. About a dozen Jetstar flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled, while flight trackers showed delays of up to three hours for about another dozen flights scheduled this afternoon and evening. "At this stage, forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight," the airline said in a written statement on its website. The airline said it reached out to impacted customers to discuss their options. Virgin Australia also cancelled all flights between Bali and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, while Qantas-operated flights showed delays. Singapore Airlines, Air India, and Air New Zealand were among the international airlines that also cancelled flights to and from and Bali because of the ash cloud. Air New Zealand said it was working to re-book impacted customers. "The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are closely monitoring the situation," said Air New Zealand's chief operating officer Alex Marren in a statement. The Indonesian government also closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport on Flores island to ensure the safety of its passengers. Local authorities raised volcanic activity alerts to their highest level before Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, in the country's south-central region, began to emit a massive plume of smoke that could be seen from 150 kilometres away. Authorities expanded the danger zone surrounding the volcano — marking where volcanic activity made the area unsafe — to 8 kilometres from the crater. The local disaster-mitigation agency evacuated two villages near the volcano and said no casualties were reported. Residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating at the volcano. Videos of the eruption that began around 5:30pm local time showed villagers watching as the ashes expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud. Local villager Frans Kino said it was the first time he had seen an eruption this big on the mountain. "It looks like this eruption is quite large. Up there, it must be dark," he said, pointing to where he lived up the hill. Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a written statement that the volcano unleashed 10,000 metres of thick grey clouds on Tuesday afternoon, following significant volcanic activity. It reported 50 deep volcanic earthquakes in 2 hours, compared to the daily average of eight to 10 events. A previous eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens. Lewotobi Laki-Laki — whose name means "male Lewotobi" — is a twin volcano to Lewotobi Perempuan, which translates to "female Lewotobi". The 1,584-metre mountain is on the Flores island of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province and is just one of the 120 active volcanoes along seismic fault lines in the Pacific Basin known as the "ring of fire". Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity. ABC/AP
