United Airlines details 6 major inflight entertainment updates, including a new Control Tower map

United Airlines has some big and exciting improvements coming to the inflight entertainment experience.

The Chicago-based carrier is adding more screens, introducing new entertainment features, innovating with faster Internet connections and more.

While the airline has a long list of updates coming to its inflight entertainment experience, United “hasn’t been very vocal about it lately,” Dominic Green, United’s director of inflight entertainment, told TPG during an exclusive interview. (Green may have been referring to Delta Air Lines’ keynote during the Consumer Electronics Show at the Sphere in Las Vegas earlier this month, where the airline began a series of improvements to its inflight entertainment.)

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In Green’s group, the focus was on testing, iterating and improving, without dictating topics.

That said, there’s a lot to be excited about, especially for aviation enthusiasts. Here’s everything you need to know about United’s inflight entertainment upgrade.

600 flights and counting

It starts with the availability of inflight screens; more United flights now feature personal TVs than ever before.

In 2021, the airline unveiled its United Next brand strategy that includes a new signature among its flagship fleet. Part of that updated look is the addition of entertainment screens equipped with Bluetooth connectivity.

Green said the airline recently introduced its 600th aircraft equipped with rear-view screens, and “we’ll probably hit the 1,000th aircraft in the next few years with seat-retracting screens in every seat,” he added.

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In addition to the screens themselves, more than 300 aircraft include Bluetooth connectivity in all seats, making it possible to pair wireless headphones, including AirPods, with entertainment programs. This makes United the undisputed US leader when it comes to Bluetooth functionality, as Delta recently announced at CES that it will be bringing this technology to more planes in the coming years. (Currently, only the first class seats on Delta’s Airbus A321neo have Bluetooth.)

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In addition, United’s new screens are all 4K, Green said, making them some of the highest definitions in the US airline industry. (Delta also announced this month that 4K screens will begin appearing in the coming years but stopped short of sharing a release schedule.)

Overall, United’s back-end technology is already some of the best in the business, and it will only get better in the years to come.

Introducing the Control Tower view

I’m a regular United flyer, so imagine my surprise last week when I discovered a new inflight map feature: Control Tower View.

This view allows you to pull up a map of the airfield covered with all the planes around you. Clicking on each small plane reveals its call sign and the airline it operates on. Going forward, the pilot won’t need to tell you that you’re number 25 to depart — you’ll be able to see that clearly on your inflight monitor.

Control Tower View is a new feature United is testing, Green said. It is powered by a partnership with United’s FlightPath3D product from a company called Betria Interactive.

“We thought it would be really cool for customers to be able to see where they are in the airport. We already have good quality zoom maps, like looking down to a street-level kind of view, and we said, okay, it’s great to have an airport terminal where you can see where you are, watch the small planes fly by , but I also think it’s really helpful for customers,” Green said.

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The Control Tower view is powered by flight deck navigation systems and live flight feeds from FlightAware.

Green expects the feature to be a hit with fliers, especially since the moving map is the most viewed piece of content on United flights, he told TPG. There’s no timeline for when the Control Tower view might expand to other airlines, but if you’ll be flying United soon, take a look at the moving map and see if you have the option to enable it.

Channel 9 is here to stay

Back when music was the only form of entertainment offered by United, the airline had a new program for flight enthusiasts. It would allow fliers to listen to air traffic control radio conversations between pilots and controllers.

This was always available on Channel 9, and when United started adding on-demand entertainment, they kept the Channel 9 feed around. (You’ll find it under the “Sound” tab on the screens.)

That said, in recent years, avid United customers have complained that Channel 9 wasn’t working. According to Green, performance is still very much available – it’s because more and more pilots are choosing not to allow feeds.

“Pilots can turn it off if they don’t want people to hear anything going on,” explained Green. All hope is not lost, however. “We know it’s a good feature,” Green added. “We’ve powered it up as much as we can.”

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Software updates keep things up to date

Just as your iPhone gets a new major software update every year, United organizes a regular round of software updates to keep the rear entertainment screens flawless and up-to-date.

“We introduced a new UX [user experience] and we’ve already done three software updates since we launched last year,” Green said.

United doesn’t often announce these minor software updates, but keep an eye out for new features and updates in the coming months. You never know what you might find, Green teased.

Starlink is all about inflight entertainment

United announced last year that it would bring Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service to its entire fleet. It’s a multi-year journey that’s still in its infancy — the first Starlink acquisition flight will fly in the spring — but Green’s team is already learning how fast new Wi-Fi can get you a seatback screen.

Green wasn’t ready to share details yet, but he did mention the fact that travelers will see real-time updates and live content on the entertainment screens.

Of course, travelers will still be able to use their own devices to consume content, but United wants access to fast and reliable internet to provide a living room-like experience for in-flight entertainment.

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Extended displays are coming soon

As many travelers bring their tablets and laptops on board, I have always wondered why airlines don’t offer a screencast feature on the entertainment screens. After all, it is very easy to do business with screen real estate.

It turns out, United can already enable screen streaming today, Green said, but the biggest problem will mean that flyers will never see this functionality.

“We’ve had a lot of pushback from our corporate partners who say they don’t really want their employees using publicly available screens,” Green said.

Not that United would have access to any data; is that they don’t want noisy passengers to disturb their neighbors.

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