BREAKING: Seatback Screens Coming to American Airlines’ Mainline Narrowbody Fleet
by Krish Patel
For a long time, American Airlines remained the odd one out compared to Delta, United, and even JetBlue. While these three U.S. airlines have invested in seatback screens on their domestic narrowbody planes, American has moved away from offering entertainment monitors on its Airbus and Boeing narrowbody planes in favor of streaming entertainment. However, this will all change in 2028.
Starting in 2028, American Airlines will begin rolling out personal entertainment monitors on its fleet of narrowbody planes. The airline has planned to retrofit its single-aisle jets with screens, even in Main Cabin, by the early 2030s.
Currently, American Airlines’s widebody fleet of 777s and 787 Dreamliners all offer seatback screens, as do a sub-fleet of transcontinental A321s and longer-range A321XLRs. However, no 737 or standard A320 in the carrier’s fleet offers seatback entertainment. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom has been focused on making his airline a premium U.S. airline that can compete with the likes of United and Delta, and offering seatback screens in Economy Class allows American to ensure that their customers stay connected and have options to relax during the flight.
When it comes to tech, seatback screens are just the latest offering from AA. Starting next year, the airline will begin offering free Starlink Wi-Fi connectivity on 500 planes.
American merged with U.S. Airways in 2014, when former CEO Doug Parker stated that offering seatback entertainment was not worth spending money on since most travelers brought their personal devices. At the time, American was following a different trend, and so was United. United only offered DirectTV on some older planes, but opted not to install screens on newer aircraft.
In 2021, this changed when United announced the debut of the United Next program, unveiling plans for seatback screens in all mainline domestic cabins.
When the screens debut in 2028 for the first time, American claims that they will be the largest on any domestic narrowbody aircraft. The IFE systems will also offer USB-C charging and have Bluetooth connectivity.
This project is set to be completed in the early 2030s and marks a step in the right direction for the airline. However, American is far behind its competitors in terms of offering new IFE screens, making it very difficult for them to catch up. We will see the first A320s and 737 MAX jets receive them in 2028, but until then, passengers who fly American can expect a standard device holder and USB-A outlet.