Sky News leaves Qantas lounges as the airline inks new deal with ABC

Qantas lounges across the country have long been synonymous with Sky News, however, a new commercial agreement with the ABC will now see the public broadcaster keep travellers company before they take to the air. The three year deal took effect on July 1st 2022. 

As part of the agreement, ABC News will produce two 30-minute bulletins each day for the airline, covering news, business, sport, weather, and entertainment. The bulletins will be shown in airline lounges and both international and domestic flights across the Qantas fleet.

ABC managing director David Anderson said: “This is a significant partnership between two of Australia’s most recognised and valued organisations.

“Qantas passengers deserve the most trusted news and information services and the ABC is very happy to be there with them.

“The bulletins we produce for Qantas will bring key stories and conversations from across Australia and the world into Qantas aircraft and lounges.”

The new ABC deal is not the only new agreement for Qantas. From August 1st 2022, passengers connecting to Qantas’ free Wi-Fi will get complimentary access to content that is usually paywalled from News Corp’s The Australian and Nine’s Australian Financial Review. 

The Australian’s editor-in-chief, Christopher Dore, said: “As our freedom to travel returns to normal following the pandemic disruption, The Australian is pleased to partner with the nation’s biggest airline to offer passengers access to the country’s best journalism.”

The Australian Financial Review editor-in-chief Michael Stutchbury said: “More than any other legacy print brand, the pandemic has accelerated our transition to digital. Today the Financial Review’s readership and subscriber base is more digital than any other newspaper brand.”

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Qantas chief customer officer, Stephanie Tully, said: “We’re delighted to have ABC News bulletins on board across domestic flights and, for those who like to consume their news online, full access to The Australian and the Financial Review is on offer through our free Wi-Fi.”