American Airlines Rolls Out Live TV On Over 100 Planes

ByEdward Pizzarello
a screenshot of a video wall

American Airlines announced that they’re rolling out free live TV on over 100 planes today.  They’re continuing to roll out the product on more planes, so it’s likely you’ll see this feature on a future AA flight soon.

The service is free and consists of 12 channels:

  • Bravo
  • CBS
  • CNN
  • Disney Channel
  • ESPN
  • FOX
  • NBC
  • NFL Network
  • Telemundo
  • TNT
  • USA

Now, you’ll need to bring your own device, but I don’t see that as a big hurdle.  Most folks have a smartphone with them.  You might need to bring an extra battery for a longer flight since not all planes have power ports.  Here’s where American says you can find live TV right now:

Free live TV is now available on more than 100 aircraft equipped with Gogo 2Ku high-speed Wi-Fi including all 48 Airbus A320s, which are receiving in-seat power during 2019. It is also available on more than 60 A319s, which have power outlets in every row.

The Final Two Pennies

I really like this development.  I’ve seen this and similar products at industry trade shows.  The available channels are impressive, especially for sports fans like me.  I really hate hopping on a flight during a major sporting event.  Now, there are 100 planes flying around where that’s unlikely to be a problem.  And, unlike United (who charges for their DirecTV service) American isn’t charging customers for this service. I’d call that a win!

The post American Airlines Rolls Out Live TV On Over 100 Planes was published first on Pizza in Motion

My goal in life is to fill my family’s passports with stamps, creating buckets of memories along the way. You’ll find me writing about realistic ways for normal people to travel the world, whether you’re on a budget or enjoy luxury. I also enjoy taking us on the occasional detour to explore the inner workings of the travel industry.

3 Comments

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  2. This is such a useless endeavor from them. Instead of investing in proper entertainment like Delta has done, they are taking the cheapest and most useless approach possible. Their “stream to your device” strategy is basically useless. Trying to get it to work takes a lot of patience and generally causes so much frustration that most people just simply give up. It’s that bad. I’ve personally seen people just give up on it, as have I. Oh and of course, works only well above 10,000 feet and within the continental US only. No where to put a phone or ipad. Have to hold it — yeah that’s really comfortable (NOT).

    Lauching this on planes that have no seat back power — boy that really is a stroke of genius.

    AA should feel embarrassed by their fleet. Some of their planes are really nice, but with the planned ruining of those, this just further adds to the embarrassment they should feel. What a terrible CEO that company has.

    Reply

    1. ChadMC, I haven’t tested the AA solution yet. But, I have tested a similar product and it worked well. So, I’m not throwing out the baby with the bath water her. The technology is supposed to work gate-to-gate, not at 10,000 feet. Now, the condition of some of their planes…..

      Reply

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