American Airlines FINALLY catches up to rivals Delta and United with an essential cabin upgrade – and frequent fliers are relieved
American Airlines is finally upgrading its planes to be more like United and Delta – and frequent flyers are relieved.
The biggest US carried will finally add seatback screens in its new and existing planes, meaning flyers will no longer have to use their own phones or laptops to watch content.
Passengers across all cabin classes should eventually get access to the screens, along with tech upgrades like Bluetooth audio pairing and USB-C charging.
American has reportedly been ‘seriously considering’ the technology for several months.
Prior to this update, executives believed the upgrade wasn’t worth the cost of equipment and weight added to the aircraft – and they expected flyers to use their own devices for entertainment.
United and Delta offer in-flight, seat-back entertainment screens on many flights, although experts say Delta is further along than United – the latter carrier offers them on most widebody international flights, but many older domestic narrowbody planes still lack them.
‘The technology has advanced so much from when we made this decision more than a decade ago,’ Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said in an interview with CNBC. ‘Ultimately, when you have customer preference and customer satisfaction improvements, that also generates revenue.’
The new screens, which will feature 4K displays, will start appearing with new deliveries from Boeing and Airbus in 2028, while other changes, like updates to the frequent flyer program, are already underway.
American Airlines is bringing seatback TV screens to its narrowbody fleet, reversing a decision from several years ago
With these new changes, American is trying to convince travelers that it can offer the kind of premium experience that has helped Delta and United become competitors -while still maintaining its reputation for domestic flights.
But these airlines aren’t an extra swap for one another.
According to Visual Capitalist, American Airlines has the most annual passengers at over 220 million. It also has the highest daily flight frequency and scheduled departures of the three.
While American’s revenue reached a record $16.7 billion last quarter, the airline made just $71 million in net income. By comparison, Delta made about $1.6 billion and United made about $805 million in the same time period.
American is betting that passengers will help change that equation. Its premium business is already showing promise, with premium passenger unit revenue rising 13.4 percent last quarter.
The airline is also preparing to bring Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi to its fleet beginning in 2027.
‘We’re making one of the most significant investments in the onboard experience in our history,’ American Airlines said.
‘From next-generation seatback entertainment at every seat to substantially more premium seating options, these enhancements will give our customers more ways to relax, stay connected and enjoy their journey.’
American is one of the largest airlines operating in the US, serving over two million passengers annually
One Reddit user pointed out that in an era of smartphones, having a seatback screen isn’t a necessity.
‘Why spend money on this and not the myriad other areas American needs to improve,’ they asked.
‘Like people were avoiding American over having a phone holder instead of a screen?’
‘I kind of agree but I think people in general perceive an interior without setback screens as cheap and inferior to Delta and United,’ another Reddit user replied.
‘The perception of having a cabin with no screens is huge,’ one Reddit user wrote.
‘I get asked all the time from passengers, if the plane we are on is old, because when passengers see a plane with no screens they automatically assume it is old.’
