American Airlines also plans to increase premium seats to about 40% in the coming years|Quintin Soloviev|CC BY-SA 4.0
American Airlines is reviving seatback screens, with plans to install them throughout its fleet starting in 2028.
The move is part of a push to attract higher-spending travelers and narrow its profit gap with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
The airline also plans to increase premium seats to about 40% of narrowbody seats in the coming years, up from roughly 25% today.
There’s more:
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American plans to equip 500 aircraft with Starlink Wi-Fi starting next year.
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Passengers across all cabins will have access to Bluetooth audio and USB-C charging.
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It will add more first-class seats and extra-legroom options in new planes.
However, most of the changes won’t be fully rolled out until the early 2030s.
The move reflects the growing importance of premium travelers. These passengers generated nearly 50% of American’s ticket revenue in the second quarter, while taking up only 30% of its seating capacity.
CEO Robert Isom faces pressure as American Airlines earned a profit of $71 million in Q2 compared with $805 million for United and $1.6 billion for Delta.