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American Airlines customers will soon have seatback screens — even in economy.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier will begin rolling out personal inflight entertainment displays on its narrowbody fleet in 2028, American said Tuesday. The airline aims to outfit its entire 876-strong fleet of mainline single-aisle aircraft with economy class screens by the early 2030s — a big move to catch up to competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
American's 140 twin-aisle widebody planes already have seatback screens in all classes, as do its new long-range Airbus A321XLRs. Regional aircraft operating under the American Eagle brand will not receive screens.
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"We're making one of the most significant investments in the onboard experience in our history," Heather Garboden, the chief customer officer of American, said in a statement. "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."
Seatback screens in economy are the latest onboard upgrade from American. The airline will begin offering ultra-fast Starlink inflight connectivity on 500 planes beginning next year, a move that comes after it rolled out free inflight Wi-Fi in January. And it is in the process of adding a row of first-class seats to its Airbus A319s and A320s for a total of 12 and 16 first-class seats, respectively.
And on the ground, American is renovating and expanding Admirals Clubs across its network, adding new grab-and-go spaces and upgrading dining options as part of a larger effort to woo lucrative premium fliers.
U-turn on screens
American's screenless economy cabins were a carry over from US Airways when the airlines merged in 2014. Doug Parker, the former CEO of American and prior to that leader of US Airways, repeatedly emphasized that the cost of screens was not worth the investment when most travelers brought their own portable device.
American was on trend at the time. Only Delta and JetBlue Airways offered seatback screens in economy on narrowbodies in the U.S., while United maintained DirectTV screens on planes with them but was not installing them on new aircraft.
Then, in 2021, United made an about face with its United Next onboard upgrades and unveiled plans for seatback screens in all cabins across its mainline fleet.
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With the airline industry's premium shift in the years since that saw everyone from Allegiant Air to Southwest Airlines announce premium amenities, American's standing as a premium global airline was tarnished somewhat by the amenities it lacked — rather than what it offered.
"Whether it's onboard food, seats, lounges, Wi-Fi ... those are the kinds of investments that make sense and really, kind of, put a halo around where American is trying to go," Nathaniel Pieper, the chief commercial officer of American, said in a March interview.
American promises the new seatback displays will be among the largest on narrowbodies when they debut in two years. They will also feature USB-C charging ports and bluetooth connectivity.
New seatback screens on American feature bluetooth connectivity. AMERICAN AIRLINES More premium seats at American
American is not stopping at screens. It will also add more first class and extra-legroom economy, or Main Cabin Extra, seats to all its mainline narrowbodies in the coming years. The aim is for premium seats to make up roughly 40% of all seats on single-aisle planes, up from around a quarter today.
The airline will offer 24 first-class seats on its Boeing 737 MAX 10s that are due to begin arriving in 2029. That is four more than American currently offers on its comparably sized Airbus A321neos.
As part of the latest premium investments, American will reconfigure its A321neos with "additional first class seats" but did not specify how many.
American also did not say how many additional extra-legroom economy seats its narrowbody planes will receive. Today, the aircraft have between 18 and 36 of the extra-spacious seats.
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