American Airlines Expanded Video and Audio Options

American Airlines is expanding video and audio options for customers on certain routes, with plans to further expand the options in the future. Customers in First Class and Business Class on transcontinental flights beginning this month will have the opportunity to enjoy American’s new personal entertainment media players, which provide on-demand access of up to 12 feature films, 15 hours of pre-loaded TV, news and video, 50 music CDs and 14 audio channels. The system will feature a 7″ touch-screen monitor and Bose noise cancelling headsets.

Passengers will begin seeing the new media players on Boeing 767-200 and 767-300 aircraft flying transcontinental routes between
New York and Los Angeles and between New York and San Francisco. In June, the new players will be put in to use on the 767-300 aircraft on the Miami-San Francisco route.

Also on May 1, American began conducting a four-month test using a similar personal entertainment media player on eight MD80 flights that operate daily between LA and Chicago. The test is scheduled to last until Aug. 31. Passengers flying in First Class will be offered the product for free. Economy Class passengers will be able to rent the media players.

The portable entertainment media players on the MD80 feature a 4.3-inch monitor along with new complimentary high-quality earbud headsets. Passengers will be able to choose up to five feature films, more than three hours of a variety of television programming, up to two hours of the Cartoon Network (yeah, keep those kids quiet), music videos, 50 music CDs, and 14 audio channels.