\n<\/p>\n
American Airlines customers will soon have seatback screens \u2014 even in economy.<\/p>\n
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier will begin rolling out personal inflight entertainment displays on its narrowbody fleet in 2028, American said Tuesday. The airline aims to outfit its entire 876-strong fleet of mainline single-aisle aircraft with economy class screens by the early 2030s \u2014 a big move to catch up to competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.<\/p>\n
American’s 140 twin-aisle widebody planes already have seatback screens in all classes, as do its new long-range Airbus A321XLRs. Regional aircraft operating under the American Eagle brand will not receive screens.<\/p>\n
Hear us out: It might be time to book holiday flights already<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n “We’re making one of the most significant investments in the onboard experience in our history,” Heather Garboden, the chief customer officer of American, said in a statement. “From next-generation seatback entertainment at every seat to substantially more premium seating options, these enhancements will give our customers more ways to relax, stay connected and enjoy their journey.”<\/p>\n Seatback screens in economy are the latest onboard upgrade from American. The airline will begin offering ultra-fast Starlink inflight connectivity<\/a><\/span> on 500 planes beginning next year, a move that comes after it rolled out free inflight Wi-Fi<\/a><\/span> in January. And it is in the process of adding a row of first-class seats<\/a><\/span> to its Airbus A319s and A320s for a total of 12 and 16 first-class seats, respectively.<\/p>\n And on the ground, American is renovating<\/a><\/span> and expanding Admirals Clubs<\/a><\/span> across its network, adding new grab-and-go spaces<\/a><\/span> and upgrading dining options<\/a><\/span> as part of a larger effort to woo lucrative premium fliers.<\/p>\n American’s screenless economy cabins were a carry over from US Airways when the airlines merged in 2014. Doug Parker, the former CEO of American and prior to that leader of US Airways, repeatedly emphasized that the cost of screens was not worth the investment when most travelers brought their own portable device.<\/p>\n American was on trend at the time. Only Delta and JetBlue Airways offered seatback screens in economy on narrowbodies in the U.S., while United maintained DirectTV screens on planes with them but was not installing them on new aircraft.<\/p>\n Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\nU-turn on screens<\/h2>\n