Inflight Movies: Does Anyone Really Want to Watch Them on a Phone?
Some airlines are ditching seatback screens on domestic flights— forcing fliers to watch films on their own phones, tablets or laptops
When the first seatback video screens starting appearing on airplanes around 30 years ago, the screen was tinier than the average display on today’s cellphones. Yet it offered that ultimate perk: relief from the tedium and claustrophobia of air travel.
But now, those video screens are going dark on some airlines’ domestic flights. Instead, fliers are expected to download an app in advance to unlock a cache of content onboard, and devour it on their own smartphones or tablets (or download a browser plug-in for laptops). Passenger reviews on road warrior sites like Flyer Talk have been decidedly mixed. “Viewing movies on my phone is not my ideal way to pass time on an 11-hour flight,” runs a typical comment, from a vacationer who’d hoped to leave the electronic gear at home but feared that Hawaiian Airlines was joining the rush to junk seatback screens. (In fact, it’s keeping them on wide-body flights.)
Some tech-savvy travelers say they won’t miss the mini-TVs. “In today’s world, it doesn’t make sense for airlines to spend all that money wiring a seat when we can watch movies on our smartphones,” said Joe Brancatelli, who runs joesentme. com, a website for business travelers. “I’ve got a laptop, tablet and phone, why can’t I just stream to one of my devices?” Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst and co-founder of Atmosphere Research, notes that his company’s research shows that fully 95% of airline travelers carry a smartphone, and more than 70% own a tablet.
There are some notable holdouts in this rush to rip out the hardware. Delta Air Lines, for example, is sticking with the video-at-everyseat model, calling it the “ultimate de-stressor,” on most aircraft. Last month, the airline announced that it’s developing a “binge button” to allow, say, “Succession” addicts to blast through a whole season without having to click on each episode.
But the bean-counters might ultimately prevail: It’s estimated that each seatback screen costs the airlines $10,000 to purchase and install, and, as airlines update their fleets, more are likely to yank the gizmos in favor of obliging fliers to use their own devices. It’s not happening overnight; American Airlines, which is firmly in the BYOS (Bring Your Own Screen) camp on shorter flights, at least, is removing seatback screens on its narrow-body fleet and replacing them with tablet holders within the next two years, according to a company spokesperson. Passengers will be able to access a library of free Netflix-quality movies and TV without having to buy Wi-Fi.
“The airlines’ thinking is that ‘if we give you power and a bunch of stuff you can stream on your own, and you don’t have to pay for it, that should be enough,’” said Brett Snyder, who runs the Cranky Flier website. He points out that even no-frills Southwest Airlines, which sat out the whole seatback-video era, finally caved in with free content that fliers can access from their own devices. The downside: The airline doesn’t offer power outlets so fliers risk draining their batteries. Alaska Airlines, which also traded seatback screens for downloadable apps, will rent you a tablet (for $10) on longer trips. Perhaps most telling, David Neeleman founder of JetBlue, the airline that first offered satellite television onboard 20 years ago, recently confirmed he’s planning a domestic airline, Breeze Airways, on which seatback screens will be notably absent. As he sees it, this is one airline perk that’s heading for oblivion. “You won’t need it,” said Mr. Neeleman, “you can watch all the movies you want from our app.”