In-Flight Entertainment: What You Get on Each Airline
Many people think that it doesn't matter which airline you fly domestically; they're all the same. When it comes to in-flight entertainment, however, that couldn't be further from the truth.
On the heels of Frontier announcing it was lowering prices on its video entertainment, we've put together a rundown of what domestic airlines offer in the U.S.
AirTran
AirTran will adopt Southwest's satellite Wi-Fi once the two airlines finish merging, but for now it offers GoGo service. Pricing varies depending on the length of the flight and the device you use.
- 717/737-700: Wi-Fi on all, no video available
Alaska Airlines
Alaska has a simple setup: Nearly all aircraft have Wi-Fi onboard, and on flights longer than about three hours, you can rent a DigEPlayer ($8–$10) to watch video on demand.
- 737-800/900: Wi-Fi on all, personal video player rentals on longer flights
- 737-400: Wi-Fi on most (mostly excludes airplanes flying in Alaska), no video
- No regional aircraft have Wi-Fi or video
American Airlines
American was one of the first to put Wi-Fi onboard, but it's been slow with its progress since. The plan is to have Wi-Fi on all domestic airplanes (not including the American Eagle regional aircraft) via Gogo, but we're not there yet. If you're looking for old-fashioned entertainment, American has overhead video screens on its 757s and 737-800s. If you're on an MD-80, you're out of luck. Instead, American is slowly rolling out streaming video via Gogo. Check before departure to find out if your flight will have Wi-Fi.
- 767-200 (New York to LA/SF only): Wi-Fi on all, overhead video screens on all, streaming video available
- 757: No Wi-Fi, overhead video screens on all
- 737: Wi-Fi on some, overhead video screens on all, streaming video coming
- MD-80: Wi-Fi on some, no video available, streaming video coming
- No regional aircraft have Wi-Fi or video
Delta
Delta has been the most progressive when it comes to installing Wi-Fi and video options on its fleet. You can now get Wi-Fi via Gogo on just about every domestic airplane with more than 50 seats. Many airplanes also have personal video screens. Live television is free, and on-demand viewing options range from $1 to $6. The best part: You can see what your flight will have when you're making reservations.
- 767-300: Wi-Fi on all, satellite TV and movies in each seat on most
- 757-200, 737-700/800: Wi-Fi on all, personal satellite TVs and movies on some, overhead video screens on others
- 757-300/MD-90: Wi-Fi on all, overhead video screens on all
- A319/A320/MD-88/DC-9: Wi-Fi on all, no video available
- All regional aircraft with more than 50 seats (excludes CRJ-200, ERJ-145, and turboprops) have Wi-Fi available, no video available
Frontier
Frontier offers different entertainment depending upon the fleet type, but there will always be something available. The airline recently changed its pricing for LiveTV and movies; they range from $3.99 on shorter flights to $7.99 on the longest.
- A318/A319/A320: No Wi-Fi, personal satellite TVs and movies on all
- Embraer 190: Wi-Fi on all, no video available
JetBlue
JetBlue not only has satellite television on movies on its whole fleet—it bought the company that provides it. No flights have Wi-Fi yet, but it's expected soon.
- A320/Embraer 190: Wi-Fi coming, personal satellite TVs and movies on all
Southwest
Southwest has been installing Wi-Fi across its fleet for some time. Today, the installation process has moved into overdrive with well over 150 aircraft, but there is still a lot of work to be done. For now, Wi-Fi access is only $5 per flight, and you can see whether or not your aircraft will have Wi-Fi when you check in online.
- 737-700: Wi-Fi on some, no video available
- 737-300/500: Wi-Fi coming to some, no video available
United
United is the furthest behind when it comes to Wi-Fi installation: it installed Wi-Fi only on the 13 airplanes that fly between New York and LA/SF. But there are plans to add it to aircraft with satellite television. The effects of the merger with Continental are pretty clear here; you'll find very different entertainment options depending on the aircraft you fly.
- 737-700/800/900: Wi-Fi coming, personal satellite TVs and movies on most
- A319/A320/757-200/767-300/777-200: No Wi-Fi available, overhead video screens on all
- 737-500: No Wi-Fi available, no video available
- No regional aircraft have Wi-Fi or video
US Airways
US Airways installed Wi-Fi via Gogo on its A321 aircraft, and it recently announced that it will hook up the rest of its fleet. There are no video screens on the domestic US Airways fleet, but it will have streaming video soon.
- A321: Wi-Fi on all, no video available, streaming video coming
- A319/A320/Embraer 170/175/190: Wi-Fi coming, no video available, streaming video coming
- No other regional aircraft have Wi-Fi or video
Virgin America
Virgin America is relatively new, so it provides a uniform offering: Every airplane has Wi-Fi and satellite television, plus movies.
- A319/A320: Wi-Fi on all, personal satellite TVs and movies on all
