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Virgin to Offer Netflix Streaming on 10 Planes With Fast Wi-Fi

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Viewers are demanding access to their favorite content wherever they are, and the next frontier for that is travel. While Netflix doesn't allow subscribers to download content for offline viewing (as Amazon Prime began doing in earlier this month) it announced a partnership with Virgin that brings streaming TV shows and movies to some travelers.

Ten Virgin airbus A320 aircraft equipped with ViaSat Wi-Fi service will offer free Netflix streaming through March 2, 2016. The planes are entering service between this fall and mid-2016, so some of them won't be in service until the promotion ends. Netflix says ViaSat's internet speeds are 8 to 10 times faster those of other onboard systems, which allows for video streaming. It didn't mention what resolution viewers are able to stream.

Netflix subscribers can access the full Netflix library on notebooks, tablets, and phones, but there's also something for non-subscribers. Starting next month, the full run of House of Cards will be available through Virgin's Red touchscreen seatback entertainment system.

The two companies kicked off the promotion with a fun celebrity tie-in. Michael Kelly, who plays Doug Stamper on House of Cards, took a ride on a House of Cards-branded aircraft yesterday, traveling from San Francisco, California, to Washington, D.C. Kelly offered "tongue-in-cheek, morally-ambiguous political advice over the aircraft's intercom before take-off," Netflix said.

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