American Airlines is doubling down on its commitment to provide a top-tier experience for its premium passengers. Beginning Wednesday, the Fort Worth, Texas-based legacy carrier will allow Flagship First and Business class travelers to enjoy their inflight entertainment (IFE) without disruptions before landing.
American Airlines
- IATA/ICAO Code
- AA/AAL
- Airline Type
- Full Service Carrier
The subtle change also gives crew members additional time to focus more on their passengers and landing preparations. It comes after American announced last week that it is working to enhance the boarding experience for premium passengers with the rollout of a new process next month.
Collecting Headphones No More
In a statement to Simple Flying on Tuesday, the airline explained that travelers will be able to enjoy IFE “up to the last minute,” as headsets will no longer be collected before landing.
“We have great news for our First and Business Class customers who love enjoying inflight entertainment up to the last minute. Starting tomorrow, April 23, customers in our premium cabins can leave their Bang & Olufsen headsets at their seats before deplaning. That means no more entertainment disruptions before landing.”
The change will only apply to long-haul US inbound flights, Hawaii flights with Flagship service, and all domestic flights with Flagship service. Passengers on long-haul outbound US flights will still have to give up their headsets before landing until American launches the update “later this year.”
With an uninterrupted gate-to-gate IFE experience, flight attendants will also have more time to take care of passengers, which is part of the airline’s broader goal to boost its customer experience.
“It’s also great news for our flight attendants who can focus on taking care of our customers during the flight instead of collecting headsets – all part of our commitment to enhancing the customer experience,” the carrier said.
Luxury Products For The Luxurious Passenger
Since 2019, Flagship First and Business class passengers have been treated to high-end headphones from Bang & Olufsen. The Denmark-based consumer electronics company is known for its modern and luxurious products, such as the Beosound A5 Bluetooth speaker and the new wireless Beoplay H100 headphones, which cost nearly $1,600. The company also designs soundbars and televisions that can cost as much as $28,900.
Bang & Olufsen products are also awarded to American’s most loyal passengers. AAdvantage Executive Platinum members who earn 250,000 loyalty points can choose two rewards – one of which is a Bang & Olufsen product that “requires two choices.” Once 400,000 loyalty points are achieved, they are allowed to choose another two rewards. A Bang & Olufsen product is also included in the list of rewards at that tier.
The headphones offered on American’s flights are of an older generation and are not Bluetooth-equipped. However, they allow Flagship passengers to fully partake in the airline’s rather limited seatback entertainment opportunities. American has seatback screens installed on all of its widebody aircraft – the Boeing 777-200ER, 777-300ER, 787-8, and -9 Dreamliner.
In its narrowbody fleet, transcontinental-configured Airbus A321s with Flagship cabins are equipped with seatback screens and Bang & Olufsen headphones. A subfleet of A319s also feature seatback entertainment, but retrofits will soon remove the screens. The transcon A321s will also have their screens gutted as American will replace them with new A321XLRs.
| American Airlines' Planes With Seatback Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft | Number Of Examples |
| Airbus A319 | 32 |
| Airbus A321T | 16 |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 47 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 20 |
| Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | 37 |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | 22 |
| TOTAL: | 174 |
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A Large Selection Of IFE For Passengers To Enjoy
Despite seatback screens primarily being on widebody aircraft, the airline does have a vast selection of IFE. On most flights, passengers will have to rely on their personal devices for entertainment. American offers hundreds of movies and TV shows across a variety of genres and different languages through its IFE portal. The selections are updated each month, and travelers can view them online prior to their flight.
American’s partnership with Apple allows passengers to watch award-winning AppleTV Originals for free. They can also listen to over 100 million songs, 30,000 playlists, and original content from notable artists. Nearly all of American's aircraft are equipped with WiFi, which is currently available for purchase or subscription. IFE, however, does not require a WiFi purchase. Soon, free WiFi will be available for AAdvantage members.
