American Airlines reverses course, will add seat-back screens to domestic fleet

Premium seating share to rise to 40% from about 25% on narrow-body flights

American Airlines said it will install seat-back entertainment screens on every seat of its more than 800 narrow-body jets, reversing a position the carrier held less than a decade ago, when it was pulling screens from its aircraft.

The carrier said the screens will be installed on newly delivered Boeing and Airbus planes starting in 2028, with retrofits of existing aircraft beginning later that year. American expects the screens to be in place across its full fleet by early in the next decade.

The overhaul is part of a broader plan to attract more premium revenue and catch up to Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, American’s more profitable rivals. American said it plans to boost the share of premium seating on narrow-body departures to 40% from about 25% currently.

To accommodate the shift, American will add an extra row of first-class seats when it retrofits its Airbus A319 and A320 fleets. Upcoming deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX 10 planes will feature two dozen first-class seats, and the carrier’s A321neo fleet will be reconfigured to include additional first-class seating. American is also expanding the number of extra-legroom seats.

American’s 140 long-haul jets already have seat-back screens. Adding them to the more than 800 single-aisle jets that operate most domestic flights will be an expensive undertaking, and the carrier has not disclosed how much it plans to spend. Screens are bulky and heavy, adding to fuel costs, and they break and require maintenance.

The decision marks a reversal from the industry’s earlier conviction that screens were not worth having on domestic flights. Carriers reasoned that most passengers brought their own phones and tablets anyway. Delta remained committed to seat-back screens throughout that period; United began installing them again a few years ago, reasoning that they would be a differentiator.

Airlines have since identified another use for the screens: personalized content. United in recent years started showing personalized ads on seat-back screens.

American previously announced plans to add Starlink Wi-Fi on hundreds of narrow-body planes starting next year.

Major airlines have invested heavily in onboard experiences in recent years as they vie for passengers’ loyalty — particularly those willing to spend extra for a more comfortable flight.