American Airlines considering Wi-Fi, in-flight entertainment upgrades
Seat back of an American Airlines Boeing 737.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
Screens are being brought back American AirlinesNarrow-body aircraft are “being seriously considered” and a decision could be made as early as next month, according to a source familiar with the matter.
It will be part of a major revamp of America’s inflight entertainment system and Wi-Fi for narrow-body aircraft, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.
Some of these plans include discussions with SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon Leo will potentially be the in-flight Wi-Fi provider, according to the person.
American is also talking to Amazon about providing content such as Amazon Prime for seats, music and potentially shopping where customers can redeem miles for purchases, the same person said.
The airline currently has an agreement Apple for customers to stream music and Apple TV+ content.
The changes come as rivals put pressure on Americans to mount Delta Airlines And United AirlinesThat accounts for much of the U.S. airline industry’s profits, as airlines increasingly rely on customers willing to pay for premium seats.
These two carriers have been investing for years to improve customer products with technologies such as new inflight entertainment and other benefits.
American, meanwhile, decided almost a decade ago to remove seat-back screens from its mainline narrow-body aircraft to save weight and the cost of equipment they added to the aircraft. Executives at the time said customers would likely use their own cell phones, tablets or laptops to stream the entertainment.
But in recent years, rivals have been investing heavily in new cabins and more modern entertainment. America is adding more premium seats to both its narrow-body and wide-body aircraft that already have screens.
In an interview last fall, American’s chief customer officer, Heather Garboden, told CNBC that the airline was warming to the idea of bringing back the screens.
“I think about where technology was ten years ago, where it could be today, and even a few years from now,” Garboden said at the time. “I hope there is less complexity.”
Amazon and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made inroads among airlines to provide in-flight Wi-Fi, winning customers including United. Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways.
United, Delta, Southwest Airlines and in recent years the Americans have followed suit JetBlue Airlines‘ Take action to offer free Wi-Fi. Generally, customers must be members of the airline’s loyalty program to benefit from free Wi-Fi.
