JetBlue had really set the mark for a number of years now – free satellite TV on all their seatback entertainment units. Other airlines offered entertainment displays but wanted to charge for that content. Yet another airline (American) wanted to do away with seat back entertainment altogether. Well, at least we will get what entertainment is available for free!
Entertainment in the Sky
United Now Offering Free Live TV on Boeing 737 Airplanes
Link: United Press Release
As of yesterday, United has made the live TV on their seatback displays free on 211 Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with displays. They promise this free viewing will be available gate-to-gate and will total over 100 channels of live television. They used yesterday’s announcement to highlight the fact that this will be great for those flying during the Super Bowl game this Sunday.
In addition to that, you can still use the United app to access movies and TV shows while in the air. I don’t know about you, but I have always liked the live TV part of the JetBlue experience since it let me watch some things I wouldn’t normally have time for on the ground (some ESPN coverage, for example). That United now offers live TV on their 737’s is a good move by them.
American Airlines and Apple Offering Free Streaming for Apple Music in the Air
Link: American and Apple Partner with Apple Music
With American looking to dump those in-flight displays, they are going the other way and seeking to entertain you in the air through your ears. They are doing this by letting Apple Music subscribers access the massive Apple Music library for free via the onboard WiFi (so, the free part for the traveler is not having to pay for WiFi access onboard).
If you are not yet an Apple Music subscriber, there are plenty of ways to get it free for 3 months (just for signing up for a trial or for buying an Apple device). If you are a Verizon customer, I believe they are still offering 6 free months to their customers as well.
In reality, you can actually download Apple Music to your device ahead of time so you could always do that if you are flying an airline other than American. But, at least you know now that you can get that album in the air that you may have forgotten while on the ground! 🙂
Featured image from United.com
