American Airlines has hinted that it could be considering seat-back entertainment for all of its mainline aircraft. This comes after a recent traveler took to social media to complain about the airline’s lack of consistency between aircraft. This led to the airline responding and recognizing that ‘consistency is important’.

This comes at a time when the airline has already hinted that it could be considering seatback screens across most aircraft, with a report by A View From The Wing noting that the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Heather Garboden, has said to ‘stay tuned’ for news on the return of seatback entertainment.

Nine Years Without Seatback Screens

Credit: American Airlines

While most modern aircraft feature seatback entertainment depending on the airline, for some older aircraft, the absence of in-flight entertainment screens has set a precedent in the industry. American Airlines does currently offers the opportunity for travelers to stream IFE to their personal device; many are calling for the return of the seatback screen.

American has identified that there is a gap between customer satisfaction and overall revenue, and now the airline’s Chief Customer Officer is signalling a return after nine years since seatback screens were removed in 2017. This decision, which was in a bid to increase overall capacity with more seats, a smaller lavatory, and bigger overhead bins, has ultimately now reached the end of its appeal, and travelers are crying out for more options onboard.

While there is no exact timeline for when the airline plans to reintroduce screens, it is proactively retrofitting several aircraft and adding its new first-class seats to the Airbus A319 and A320, so any immediate change to the traveler experience could be imminent.

What About A Holder For Your Personal Device?

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Most travelers nowadays carry a personal device with them while traveling, whether this be a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop; passengers will ultimately look to be watching or using a screen during their trip. This has necessitated the need for seatback charging or tray tables to hold your device. Southwest Airlines is doing just that, with some of its newer aircraft featuring seatback tray tables or holders for your phone or tablet.

At American Airlines, this feature is still lacking, and the airline has finally recognized the need for consistency. In its response to travelers on social media calling out the airline for its lack of consistency or support for use of personal devices, has seen the airline take note and is now using that feedback to share with its onboard product team for what the future could now look like for one of the country’s largest airlines.

American last year began its initial phase of retrofitting the 30 legacy A319, which were the last of its short-haul aircraft to have seatback screens. The retrofit involved the removal of screens, with a larger first-class cabin among other new elements. Currently, the airline offers a bring your own device model for domestic flights; the consideration for seatback screens is to match its closest competitors, United and Delta.

American Airlines Seatback Entertainment

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Competitive pressure and passenger preference seem to be the drivers for American to reconsider the reintroduction of seatback entertainment into the narrowbody fleet, as most domestic aircraft now lack flight screens, and the public is crying foul. The airline has already started to explore its high-speed WiFi partnerships to improve the onboard streaming experience to personal devices.

While most widebody aircraft already have seatback screens, the shift away from this feature for narrowbody aircraft was historically to increase the density of seats onboard, reduce aircraft weight, and lower maintenance costs.

The reversal of this year long strategy, could now see one of the worlds most recognisable airlines reintroduce seat back screens, bringing an end to the era of bring your own device, in a time where travelers are now looking more and more for the niceties when it comes to travel, and being willing to spend a little more coin for your next trip to enjoy the little things in life. While there is still no firm date on whether this will take hold, the industry is watching closely.