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

Wednesday March 12, 2014 7:52 PM PDT by Husain Sumra
unitedairlinesUnited Airlines will be introducing a new in-flight movie service for both iPhone and iPad this April, allowing flyers to watch over 150 movies and 200 TV shows on their device, according to PatentlyApple.
According to United, "Most planes will be equipped with the new system very soon, and we'll have it installed on most domestic aircraft by the end of 2014. We'll begin on Airbus A319, Airbus A320, Boeing 747-400 and select 777-200 aircraft, followed by additional fleets. In the end, all United-operated flights will have some form of entertainment.
The free-of-charge service will only require flyers to download the latest version of the United Airlines app, although United will also let people download the app without the purchase of its Wi-Fi plan.

Users will have full control of the service's content, having the ability to stop, pause, rewind, and switch between movies and TV shows at any time. In addition, flyers will be able to access the service on their laptops, although a browser plug-in will be required. Once on their flight, flyers need to only open the app to be presented with their entertainment options.

United Airlines is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

30 comments


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MentalFloss
65 months ago
Let the consumer worry about the electronics? Huh? There's a huge bit of elitism included here. Soon, I will be watching the inflight entertainment on my iPad, while the guy next to me who can't afford one will be bored.

Finally, airlines had started to integrate 10 inch screens into seats also in economy class, and now we take a step back? And people like it, because for some reason, the airline should only provide the content, and the passenger should worry about the device?

How about bringing your own food onto the flight? Your own cup and plate? Your own seat cushion perhaps? What do you say? It's too heavy? Well, guess what, not everybody likes carrying an iPad either. And yes, of course, cheap airlines already charge you for every extra service, but I didn't realize United was a cheap airline.

Airlines have found another way how not to provide a service, and people are actually cheering. Please watch the South Park episode "The Entity". You guys would be prime customers for the device invented by Mr. Garrison.
Rating: 7 Votes
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JerryCards
65 months ago
wow~~~, OK, CarPlay first, and we have PlanePlay now. :D
Rating: 5 Votes
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mcarling
65 months ago

Just flew today on United and the complimentary wifi is a joke. Yes, you get a selection of movies, but they're all old. Not a single new movie to be found.


Good grief! What do people expect for free? I think it would be great if older films are free and newer films cost a few dollars to watch.
Rating: 5 Votes
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bniu
65 months ago
This is the way to do it. Provide the content and let the consumer worry about accessing it. Keeps costs down and makes the product more adaptable to whatever new technologies come out.

Just provide power and content and get out of the consumer's way :D
Rating: 4 Votes
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kds1
65 months ago
I still prefer seat back video. Love Virgin America's RED entertainment system. Also, on any flight, my favorite channel is the moving map......
Rating: 4 Votes
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jroman
65 months ago
Such a smart idea. I wish all airlines would do this. Let the consumer worry about providing the electronics, just provide the content.
Rating: 3 Votes
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bradl
65 months ago
That's nice and all..

but since the merger with COA, they still need to retrofit all of the COA metal with UAL's IFE, which includes Channel 9 (from the Flight Deck). Some COA metal may not have any IFE ready yet (haven't flown on COA metal since the merger, so I'm unsure).

Though, if this is with wifi, they may not mind people connecting to LiveATC.net either way.. ;)

Anywho, I wonder with them doing this if they are blocking Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime.. I mean, competition and all..

BL.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Ted13
65 months ago

I still prefer seat back video. Love Virgin America's RED entertainment system. Also, on any flight, my favorite channel is the moving map......


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.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Ted13
65 months ago

Let the consumer worry about the electronics? Huh? There's a huge bit of elitism included here. Soon, I will be watching the inflight entertainment on my iPad, while the guy next to me who can't afford one will be bored.


Anyone who can afford to fly can afford an iPad. You don't need the latest and greatest -- even a used 16GB, WiFi only iPad 1 will do just fine. How much can one possibly cost? People who are bored on flights are bored because they choose to be bored or are completely incapable of planning 5 minutes into the future. They couldn't afford a used paperback novel? A cheap iPod to listen to podcasts or audio books? Come on.

I agree that airlines constantly taking away stuff that we used to take for granted (check your bag for free, get economy seats of your choice on a first come basis, food, etc.) but seat-back entertainment in its present form I wish they would take away. The quality sucks, turning off the thing, which gets used to bombard you with advertising is often next to impossible, and often your seat-back gets shoved throughout the flight because there is a badly working touch screen behind you.

I remember my first transatlantic flight in 1968 (I was about to turn 6 years old). It was a Boeing 707, after food service with actual china and metal utensils was over, they pulled down a genuinely large screen in the from of the main cabin and with a movie projector showed some gangster film. It was a cool experience. Unreliable 4" seat-back displays that show you which version of Linux they are running when they have to reboot the entertainment system yet again will not give any future 6 year old a memorable experience.
Rating: 1 Votes
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parseckadet
65 months ago

Let the consumer worry about the electronics? Huh? There's a huge bit of elitism included here. Soon, I will be watching the inflight entertainment on my iPad, while the guy next to me who can't afford one will be bored.

Finally, airlines had started to integrate 10 inch screens into seats also in economy class, and now we take a step back? And people like it, because for some reason, the airline should only provide the content, and the passenger should worry about the device?

How about bringing your own food onto the flight? Your own cup and plate? Your own seat cushion perhaps? What do you say? It's too heavy? Well, guess what, not everybody likes carrying an iPad either. And yes, of course, cheap airlines already charge you for every extra service, but I didn't realize United was a cheap airline.

Airlines have found another way how not to provide a service, and people are actually cheering. Please watch the South Park episode "The Entity". You guys would be prime customers for the device invented by Mr. Garrison.


Feeling entitled much? People sure do love complaining about airlines. It used to be everyone complained about the quality of the food on board. Until they took it away, then suddenly everyone was very angry that they no longer got their roast beef sandwich that was so dry you felt like you just walked through the Sahara after eating it.

Take a step back and look at what United would be taking away here. Every domestic flight I've been on with United that even had IFE was DirecTV, which they charge for. Now they're saying they're going to give me an alternative that I don't have to pay for? Yeah, let's complain about that. :rolleyes:
Rating: 1 Votes
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