United Airlines to Debut In-Flight Movie Service for iPad and iPhone in April

[IJ Reilly]

UA site calls passengers "flyers." The words probably came from the press release

Ah, so they are repeating UA's marketing speak. I wonder, will they start handing out goggles and scarfs at the ticket counters?

I think it's Target who insists on referring to their customers as "guests." Another strange concept from the land of marketing speak. Whenever I go into a Target store, I feel like I've overstayed my welcome, so maybe they've got it right.

EDIT: As it turns out, not (at least not in this announcement).

https://hub.united.com/en-us/news/c...nflight-movies-and-tv-on-personal-device.aspx

Curiously, UA published this announcement more than a month ago, but nobody thought it was important until PatentlyApple ran it yesterday (without a link back to the UA page where they found the information, as it happens).

 

[sliderocity]

Sounds like an awesome idea, but in practice I doubt if it'll be worthwhile. WiFi generally sucks, PUBLIC WiFi almost ALWAYS suck and they are delivering video over it as well? No thanks. That's an exercise in frustration waiting to happen. Again, I love the idea of it and reserving judgment until I see how its executed.

Except Southwest has been offering wifi-based TV, movies and flight tracking for some time now, and having flown Southwest numerous times over this period, I have yet to encounter a single issue with it.

 

[Muscle Master]

Guess I'm lucky, first class domestically only cost me $20, transatlantic wise.. Only $100

Free wifi

 

[coffey]

United Entertainment service no longer free

I just flew United for the first time in about a year and was surprised that they charged for all their entertainment service. It was something like $7-$8 for the flight.

So there I had this 4x5 screen built in the back of the seat in front of me and it displayed a white United logo and nothing else after a 15 minute preview of a movie. Would have been nice to at least turn off the white annoying screen.

 

[kds1]

Really? I am yet to encounter a back of the seat video program that in any way, shape or form approach the quality of a 9.7" retina iPad. And the moving map can play on your iPad as well, and if properly done, with far higher quality mapping detail.

When I'm flying, I don't need "retina" quality picture. Also, who the hell wants to hold an iPad for that long. Not everyone has a stand, or a cover that converts into a stand, and not everyone has an iPad. This is just a way for United to cut costs and offer less, and people lap it up as "better for the customer". You've got to be kidding. Give me VX RED any day over some lame ass wifi bring your own iPad system.

 

[0007776]

I just flew United for the first time in about a year and was surprised that they charged for all their entertainment service. It was something like $7-$8 for the flight.

So there I had this 4x5 screen built in the back of the seat in front of me and it displayed a white United logo and nothing else after a 15 minute preview of a movie. Would have been nice to at least turn off the white annoying screen.

Yeah they started doing that for domestic flights a little while back, it's annoying, but I've never had any issue with just turning the screen off though it's been easy enough for me to figure out.