While other US legacy carriers have pushed to improve the quality of their services, thus increasing revenues and costs, American Airlines has moved forward with an austerity approach. One such cost-cutting measure has been the reduction of services with seatback entertainment, and a failure to move with the times to keep up with quality expectations for the remaining seatback entertainment. Notably, the carrier has opted to remove seatback screens from its A319s in its latest retrofit program. These jets were the carrier’s final short-to-medium haul aircraft equipped with seatback screens.
This move has been implemented to save costs. Screens cost money to install and upkeep, and licensing for the films and TV is not free. Furthermore, screens add additional weight, contributing to greater fuel burn needed to carry out services. In this article, discover how American Airlines is reducing its seatback screen offerings and sticking with obsolete systems on longer flights. You can then learn how this approach compares with other airlines.
The reason that American Airlines’ move away from seatback screens is worthy of conversation is that the airline has begun retrofitting the cabins of over 30 legacy Airbus A319s. This move is important because the legacy A319s were the last of the carrier’s short-to-medium-haul aircraft that were fitted with seatback screens. Soon, no American Airlines short and medium-haul passengers will be able to enjoy seatback screens. The retrofit will also expand the first-class cabin. The aircraft involved have been sent to El Salvador for the retrofit, with the first being N8001N.
“Legacy” refers to the carrier’s 32 A319s that were received from 2013 to 2015, with the airline’s other A319s having been inherited from US Airways and America West Airlines. The legacy A319s are also noteworthy as the only Sharlet-equipped A319s that operate in the US. It is unusual that the aircraft referred to as “legacy” are younger in age. Furthermore, they will be American Airlines’ first batch of aircraft to be overhauled as part of its fleet retrofitting efforts.
This will set American Airlines back from the competition, as it will become the only US legacy carrier that has no seatback entertainment on its short-to-medium-haul aircraft. Carriers like Delta Air Lines and United Airlineshave opted to continue seatback entertainment. These carrier retrofits have focused on improving and installing seatback screens.
It won’t be a case of bringing a book or getting bored should American Airlines completely phase out seatback screens, although you may still need to bring your own entertainment. Seatback screens are being replaced by seatback device holders, a measure designed to save weight. However, you will still be able to access entertainment on aircraft that don’t have seatback screens. Simply connect to the “AA-Inflight” WiFi and enter aainflight.com into your browser. You can then select “view free entertainment” and choose the movie or TV show that you would like to watch. This is available on smartphones, tablets and laptops, although it may not work until the aircraft reaches 10,000 ft. The Wi-Fi is free for T-Mobile customers on certain plans, and for other individuals for a fee.
To prevent a sore wrist, use the seatback device holder in front of you while enjoying the entertainment. Above the tray table latch, there will be a small lever. Pull this to drop a small tray, and continue lifting the level while you put your device in and make sure it is a snug fit. You will need to stow away the tray and larger devices for takeoff and landing.
The American Airlines entertainment portal offers a diverse selection of movies and TV shows suitable for all ages. It is constantly updated as American Airlines’ licenses to show certain programs change. However, you can expect to find the latest releases alongside classics. At the time of writing in August 2025, you can watch new films like Bad Boys: Ride or Die, The Minecraft Movie, and more. Classics include the original Superman, Titanic, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. You can also choose from a range of music, audiobooks, and podcasts, ideal for longer flights where you might not want to watch movies back-to-back.
Medium and Long Haul Seatback Entertainment is Here to Stay
While American Airlines is moving away from seatback entertainment for its shorter flights, it does appear to acknowledge that this would be a woefully unpopular measure for longer flights. It has committed to a strong seatback entertainment offering for its 787 fleet. The airline seat map database aeroLOPA shows that the carrier’s entire 787 fleet has seatback entertainment. The technology is provided by Panasonic and Thales. Panasonic also provides WiFi alongside Viasat:
787 Variant:
Flagship Business:
Premium Economy:
Main Cabin Extra:
Main Cabin:
787-8 (Concept “D” & Safran Seats)
15.4-inch Touchscreen Display
11.5-inch Touchscreen Display
9-inch Touchscreen Display
9-inch Touchscreen Display
787-8 (Collins Aerospace Seats)
15.4-inch Touchscreen Display
11.5-inch Touchscreen Display
9-inch Touchscreen Display
9-inch Touchscreen Display
787-9 (High Density Configuration)
15.4-inch Touchscreen Display
11.5-inch Touchscreen Display
9-inch Touchscreen Display
9-inch Touchscreen Display
787-9 (Premium Heavy Configuration)
4K Touchscreen Display Featuring Bluetooth Connectivity
4K Touchscreen Display Featuring Bluetooth Connectivity
4K Touchscreen Display Featuring Bluetooth Connectivity
4K Touchscreen Display Featuring Bluetooth Connectivity
Panasonic’s eX2 AVOD system can be enjoyed on American Airlines’ higher-density 787-9s and original 787-8s. Meanwhile, new 787s tend to have Thales’ Avant system. Once American Airlines deploys its premium 787-9, it is expected to come with updated Avant entertainment systems.
The table below shows the range of seatback entertainment available across American Airlines’ 787s across each variant and class.
American Airlines Isn’t Keeping Up With The Latest Seatback Aviation Technology
American Airlines appears committed to keeping its seatback entertainment for its longer flights. However, it has failed to invest in the latest systems, another case of the airline falling behind its legacy competition. One example is that it still uses the outdated Panasonic eX2 Avod system, rather than the Astrova system. Astrova launched in January 2025 with Icelandair. The carrier uses it on its Airbus A321LRs. This system uses wireless headphones, and was the first IFE product with 4K OLED technology. The system is also more lightweight due to the extremely thin display, has programmable LED lighting, and is equipped with USB-C ports. United has also announced that it will use the Astrova system.
The CEO of Panasonic Avionics said, “We are confident that Astrova will connect passengers to United more effectively than any other IFE solution, and we will continue to optimize passenger engagement with a cabin experience that keeps pace with innovation in the consumer technology space.”
Astrova should be a far more future-proof system than the eX2 Avod system because it has a modular design that makes incremental hardware and software upgrades possible.
Andy Masson, Panasonic Avionics’ Vice President of Product Management, said, “Working closely with Qantas, our joint mission was to design a system that delivered all the creature comforts of home – everything from cinema-grade picture quality to high-fidelity audio and enough power to fast-charge all passenger devices.”
Delta Air Lines and Live TV: An In-Flight Entertainment Example To Follow
The key to great entertainment is choice. Airlines like United Airlines and Delta Air Lines give passengers the opportunity to use a seatback screen or their own devices. The quality of entertainment is also exceptional with Delta. Most impressively, the carrier offers live TV. This began in 1996, so that the carrier could broadcast the Atlanta Olympic Games. The testbed was a Boeing 767 known as “The Spirit of Delta.” A satellite TV receiver was fitted to the aircraft. Following successful tests, passengers could watch the 1996 World Series live while cruising.
Live TV became comprehensively available to Delta passengers in 2023 when the carrier introduced the technology across its widebody fleet, marking the first time live TV was integrated into domestic routes. Delta calls this a “connected living room experience in the sky.”
Today, Delta’s live TV offering is available across much of the Airbus fleet – including A319s, A220s, and A321s – and Boeing 737s, 757s, and more. Multiple channels are available at no additional cost, perfect for following your team, keeping up with the news, or watching the latest episode of your favorite TV show. Streaming of a range of TV shows and movies is also available if none of the live channels are to your taste.
Transatlantic Boeing 737 MAX flights from the US and Canada to Europe are growing. Given the relative newness of the model, it’d be odd if they weren’t. According to the latest Cirium Diio data, the MAX has an average of 24 daily transatlantic flights in September, up from 19 daily in the same month last year. Air Canada, Icelandair, United Airlines, and WestJet will operate them.
Schedule analysis reveals that the Boeing narrowbody will operate 3.3% of all transatlantic passenger services. One in every 30 takeoffs will be on this type. Perhaps more surprisingly, the MAX will only operate a fifth of all such single-aisle flights. The A321LR and A321XLR—including those operated by Aer Lingus—are collectively much ahead (1,558 departures; 46.1%).
The 10 Longest Transatlantic MAX Flights In September
The entries include multiple never-before-served routes. They include WestJet between Halifax and Barcelona, which is Spain’s second most populous city, a tourist hotspot, and an important cruise location. Timed at up to 7h 45m back to Canada, with flights having headwinds, it is the joint-third-longest service aboard the single-aisle equipment. It is also the longest passenger route operated by a Canadian carrier from Halifax.
Icelandair (daily MAX 8 until September 13; it coexists with the A321LR, which will then operate exclusively again)
7h 45m=
Barcelona back to Halifax
WestJet. A brand-new route, which started in June 2025 (four weekly MAX 8; the last Canada-bound flight of the season is on September 29)
7h 45m=
Keflavik to Vancouver
Icelandair (four weekly MAX 8)
7h 45m=
Dublin back to Toronto
WestJet (daily MAX 8, but two daily flights on September 1, which is a hangover from the peak summer)
7h 40m
Edinburgh back to Toronto
WestJet (daily MAX 8, but two daily flights on September 1, which is a hangover from the peak summer)
7h 35m
Funchal back to Newark
United. A brand-new route, which began in June 2025 (three weekly MAX 8; the last US-bound departure of the season being on September 24)
7h 21m
Amsterdam back to Halifax
WestJet. A new route for the airline, which started in May 2025 (six weekly MAX 8, but down to four weekly later in the month). More on this link later in the article
Air Canada. A brand-new route, which started in June 2025 (three weekly MAX 8; the last Canada-bound departure of the season is on September 6)
* Even if once. They will vary at other times
** They will vary at other times. Other equipment is excluded. Each route’s full MAX operation is mentioned, even if not all services have the maximum time
Keflavik To Orlando Is Number One
With a block time of up to 8h 00m, Keflavik to Orlando ranks first by this measure. However, if the great circle distance is considered instead, it is ‘only’ the third-longest airport pair, behind the company’s services to Seattle and Vancouver. However, there’s not much in it.
The year-round route to Orlando is now entirely on the MAX 8. The 757-200, which served it for many years, was last flown in August, with the A321LR down to operate next summer. Unlike earlier this year, when Icelandair’s flights remained in Orlando overnight to maximize European connectivity, things are different now.
In September, 160-seat MAX 8s leave Iceland at 16:45 and get to Florida at 20:45. Returning, they depart just 70 minutes later at 21:55, and arrive back at 09:15. This connects to a growing range of flights to European cities that leave Iceland after 10:00. However, this middle-of-the-morning departure bank from Keflavik to other European airports is a summer setup. As such, Icelandair is returning to its overnight stay in Florida later this year.
WestJet’s Amsterdam Service Relies On Its KLM Partnership
After a two-year absence, WestJet returned to Amsterdam in May. While it used the 787-9 Calgary between 2021 and 2023, things are extremely different now. This time, it operates from Halifax aboard the 174-seat MAX 8. The Nova Scotia link was flown by KLM and Martinair in the 1990s.
WestJet serves Amsterdam a surprisingly high six times weekly during most of the summer, falling to a low of four weekly at times. This high frequency is influenced by WestJet’s codeshare agreement with KLM (they codeshare to multiple places via Schiphol, especially in France, Portugal, and Italy), together with the Canadian carrier’s (limited) connections over Halifax.
GE Aerospace named two new propulsion systems that will be offered as a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine to power the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-proposed Next Generation Responsive Strike (NextRS) demonstrator aircraft. The newly designated GE81 High-Mach Gas Turbine…
Steve covers military aviation, missiles and space for the Aviation Week Network, based in Washington DC.
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On August 1st, a British Airways Airbus A380 flying from Johannesburg OR Tambo International in South Africa to London Heathrow was forced to return to its point of origin due to reports of smoke in the cabin. It was later revealed that the problem even affected the jet’s crew rest area.
The issue forced the double-decker quadjet to return to Johannesburg. Because it didn’t perform a fuel dump, the landing was fairly heavy.
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
United Airlines
Air Canada,
Star Alliance
