This US Airline Is Making A Major Change To Its In-Flight Entertainment (And Travelers Are Delighted)

Making sure that I have my phone, laptop, and headphones fully charged is a must when I'm getting ready to fly. I hate hearing the "low battery" alert halfway through a flight or having to pause a movie on my phone because the battery is draining too quickly — I'm not someone who likes "raw dogging" a flight with no entertainment or distractions. Luckily, American Airlines is helping to remove that low battery anxiety for passengers by bringing back seatback screens.

In a press release about the change, American Airlines confirmed that all of the seats on its narrowbody planes will have seatback screens. This is a departure from the airline's past plans, which included removing the screens to help save weight. In the past, entertainment was made available to passengers solely via the airline's app.

It's not clear how big the screens will be, though the press release said they'll be "among the largest displays offered on narrowbody aircraft in North America." Exactly which TV, movies, and games will be available is also still a mystery for the time being, although the airline teases "expanded content and partnerships" can be expected. Screens will be based on 4K technology, and you'll be able to connect your own Bluetooth headphones. There will also be fast-charging USB-C ports at each seat.

By adding in the new seatback screens to its planes, American Airlines may be hoping it will help it become one of America's most highly rated airlines. One person on X (formerly known as Twitter) applauded the change, saying "far better customer experience than the bring-your-own-device planes." Another person said: "Thank god! No screens was the main reason I choose Delta over American. Bring back the screen, and I'll come back and ditch Delta who's super pricey."

The change won't be immediate. You can expect to see these on American Airlines planes starting in 2028, and the complete rollout will take a few years. This update by American follows a trend that's been set by other airlines. United began updating its in-flight entertainment via seatback screens in 2021. American is also going to be offering high-speed in-flight WiFi via Starlink on its narrowbody flights, starting in 2027. In doing so, it's following in the footsteps of airlines like United, Alaska Airlines, and JSX — named the best domestic airline in the U.S. Currently, the WiFi on American Airlines is offered by AT&T, and passengers have noted how it's often slow. Faster WiFi combined with the new seatback screens will give passengers all kinds of options to stay occupied onboard.