American Airlines Boeing 737 seatback.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
restore the screen american airlinesA person familiar with the matter said there was “serious consideration” being given to narrow-body aircraft, and a decision could be made as early as next month.
This will be part of a major overhaul of American Airlines’ in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi for its narrow-body planes, said the person, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the project publicly.
Some of these plans include discussions with SpaceX’s Starlink. Amazon Officials say Leo may offer in-flight Wi-Fi.
American Airlines is also in talks with Amazon about providing content on seats, which could include Amazon Prime, music and possibly shopping, where customers can use miles to make purchases, the people said.
The airline currently has contracts with: apple Let your customers stream music and Apple TV+ content.
Amazon Leo declined to comment. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
There is increasing pressure on the United States from rivals such as the United States. delta airlines and united airlinesmake up most of the U.S. airline industry’s profits, making airlines increasingly reliant on customers willing to pay for premium seats.
These two airlines have long invested in improving their customer offerings with technology, including new in-flight entertainment and other perks.
Meanwhile, American Airlines decided to remove seatback screens from its mainstream narrow-body planes nearly a decade ago to save on the cost and weight of equipment added to the aircraft. Executives said at the time that customers were likely to use their phones, tablets or laptops to stream entertainment.
But in recent years, rivals have invested heavily in new cabins and more modern entertainment. American Airlines itself is adding premium seats to both its narrow-body and wide-body planes, which already have screens.
In an interview last fall, American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Gerboden told CNBC that the airline was open to the idea of bringing back screens.
“We think about what this technology was 10 years ago and what it will be like today or in a few years,” Gerboden said at the time. “We hope it reduces complexity.”
Installing seatback screens on American Airlines planes takes years and is expensive. American Airlines has more than 790 Boeing and Airbus narrow-body aircraft, according to the company’s annual report. The company has ordered more than 280 of these jets, and the seatback screens may be delivered directly from the factory.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has expanded into airlines to offer in-flight Wi-Fi, winning customers such as United Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways.
United Airlines, Delta Airlines, southwest airlines And Americans in recent years have followed suit. jet blue airlines” We have started to move towards providing free Wi-Fi. Free Wi-Fi typically requires customers to be members of the airline’s loyalty program.
