The Pros and Cons of the Disappearing Seatback Monitor
Amanda Pleva February 07, 2017
I am currently writing this during a break on an especially long cross-country flight in which the in-flight entertainment system (IFE) isn’t working. We learned of this tragedy before boarding our passengers, who were able to pick up magazines and newspapers before boarding, but the saving grace seems to be the wifi, which most people seem to be connected to on their laptops, phones or tablets. The only grumbling we heard about it was during boarding, but everyone seems pacified now and has been nothing but pleasant since then.
There are a few stages a flight attendant goes through upon being informed that the IFE system isn’t functioning. It’s usually fear, followed by panic, anger that it wasn’t fixed, and finally grief and acceptance. It’s a scenario we all have found ourselves in – even just one broken screen on a flight can make a passenger (and consequently the crew) miserable. But the aforementioned wifi has of late been the knight in shining armor to flustered crews who ultimately have to break the bad news to their passengers about an out-of-service IFE system or individual seatback screen. Jetblue has recently announced free high speed wifi fleetwide, as well as a partnership with Amazon to stream films and TV shows with an Amazon Prime account, and Southwest, rather than retrofit its fleet with screens, began offering streaming live TV via wifi. United and American have opted to do away with seatback monitors entirely on some of their newest aircraft, instead choosing to improve the speeds of their current wi-fi systems for passengers to watch on their own devices.
This is a great move on the part of the airlines. As a flight attendant I can’t tell you how much time I have wasted over the years simply agonizing over IFE issues. Problems range from technical issues beyond my expertise to wear and tear from careless passengers, who can destroy monitors and remotes surprisingly quickly and completely. The damage usually can’t be repaired for a while – if it isn’t obvious, it will be discovered in the air during the next flight. On the ground during the day the plane will often turn around quickly and the time simply isn’t there to work on a TV system. Few people would opt to arrive hours late in order to watch Law & Order reruns they’ve already seen twenty times.
Then there is the incredible cost of an IFE system. Airlines can spend up to $3 million to wire an aircraft with an entertainment system, but that isn’t counting the weight of the cabling and screens themselves – in fuel, that can translate to a price tag of $90k. And these figures don’t include maintenance, which is constant. Plus any kind of credit or freebies thrown the way of passengers inconvenienced by a long journey staring at a black screen.
American opted to scratch the video screens from their brand new 737s because they find that they were redundant, in that 90% of passengers have their own. So there really isn’t a much downside to cutting the massive cost of an IFE system when you take that into account, but it does present some new considerations for passengers as airlines begin making the shift away from onboard monitors. The first is power. American will be providing outlets at every seat on its 737 MAX aircraft, but some carriers that offer streaming entertainment do not. And while most people these days are tech-savvy, there are also older people who may not be and may require extra assistance in figuring out how to connect.
The next is doing the required prep work – if you want to use an onboard streaming video service like Southwest or United’s, you’ll have to make that decision prior to departure, as it’ll require downloading the airline’s app. So it takes away the spontaneous decision to watch TV or a movie if you get bored of your book or reading tabloid magazines.
I recently was onboard a newer aircraft without screens, and I had attempted to watch a TV show which was barely watchable as it buffered literally every five seconds. I hung in there because I really wanted to watch it, but when I finally got to the credits, I hastily shut my tablet and grabbed my book, which of course was the better option…but what is a flight without going brainless for a little while? This wasn’t my first time having an experience like this, so it’s important for airlines to make sure their wi-fi can handle streaming video if it is going to be offered. And if the wi-fi malfunctions, it leaves passengers with nothing – at least when IFE problems arise and streaming video is also available, it turns a major problem into a very minor one.
All in all, scrapping the IFE system is a great decision, since you as the passenger can provide yourself with the viewing platform you’d like most – be it the compact convenience of a smartphone or large screen of a laptop, as long as all necessary prep work of charging devices and downloading relevant apps is done beforehand. As long as the wi-fi connections are as trustworthy and fast as promised, passengers shouldn’t find themselves missing an IFE system.
However, it still never hurts to bring a low-tech, always-functioning book.
I completely disagree with the assertions made here. First of all, I've seen that figure quoted before that 90% of passengers have their own devices. Sure, most people own smartphones, but how many people really want to watch a movie on one? And, less than 50% of people in the U.S. own a tablet and a lot of people do not want to carry a tablet or laptop on board solely for the purpose of passing the time on their flight. When I fly an airline such as Delta, JetBlue, or Virgin America, I would (albeit unscientifically) estimate that well over 50% of the passengers I've observed are watching their seatback TVs. Sure, you don't need it on a short flight of an hour or more, but on longer flights, it is a great way to pass the time for adults or kids when confined to a small seat for several hours. I for one do not want to have to go out and buy a tablet or lug my laptop with me just for when I fly. Everybody says "read a book" but I don't typically read novels and I'm not going to read magazines the entire time on a 6-hour cross-country flight either. There is a reason why Delta has chosen to go the other route and equip more of its planes with seatback TVs and why all JetBlue flights also have seatback TVs. I go out of my way to book my flights according to the availability of seatback TVs. I'm sure maintenance can be an issue and it can be unfortunate when someone gets stuck with a non-working TV on a long flight. But, in all the years I've flown, I've never once had that happen to me so I can't believe that the problem is all that widespread. When US Airways and American Airlines merged, Doug Parker made comments alluding to bringing US Airways planes up to the level that American's customers were used to. At the time, American was ordering most of its new planes with seatback TVs. It is shame now that American has reversed direction and is now being brought down to the level of the old US Airways.
For better or worse, I think it is the wave of the future. Bugs need to be worked out, including (1) power outlets at every seat (currently, this is mostly only available in first, and sometimes not even then), (2) faster and more reliable wifi (UA, at least, has gotten much better at this than a few years ago when it was working less than 50% of the time), and (3) better device compatibility (it took me some time to figure out that I not only needed a special flash plug-in for UA streaming to work on my MacBook, but that I needed to adjust specific settings). We are not there yet, but I expect each of these to get better over time. And when it works, I am fine with it. Incidentally, it is also hard in domestic first to eat and watch IFE at the same time, but that is when I use my phone instead of the laptop. I have never seen an international business class seat that did not have its own screen.
Kudos to Asiaflyguy who wrote: "Would airlines like it if hotels pulled out TV’s and their flight crews had to watch content on their on devices???" LOL! Seat back monitors allow me to leave my stuff stashed and also to leave my tray table free. Even in business/first, there is so little room that one has to put most things away - certainly a laptop - during meal service and that is when I want to watch a movie/show. I already factor so many things about the hard product into how I choose my particular flights, I hate to have to add this, especially if it metastasizes to transoceanic long haul aircraft. Does anyone have any insight into why IFE equipment is so bulky in the first place given that laptops can be so thin and lightweight?
"The large screen of a laptop". Oh, how we laughed. Then cried. Then whimpered. The majority of passengers on any jet are in coach, and - even before the person in front reclines their seat - it's almost impossible to get the screen of even a svelte 13" lappie into a viewing position on the seat tray. Oh, yes. The seat tray. Unless you're one of the bulkhead/exit-row passengers whose tray comes out of the arm of the seat, that tray simply isn't big enough or tough enough to support anything bigger than an 11" ultra-lightweight. Which brings me to yet another point. One of the big advantages of seat-back screens: you can watch while you eat. Good luck doing that in coach with *any* portable device. And finally - why do I want to load the airline's app? God alone knows what spyware they bundle into it. You don't actually need an extra app to watch video, so ask yourself what their (or their country's) motivation is for having to have you load it.
I have not done a long haul on a plane without IFE in over 10 years now. First thing I check when booking tickets; so United's 747s, AA's 767s and such have never and will never get my business. Put pax in a tiny seat, no personal screens, shades down, job done. They can read in darkness and you can go and chat in the galley. An attendant's dream? Well, if that's the case hope when you will get to your hotel you will experience a new "enhancement" - no TV in the room. See how it feels to eat dinner while holding your phone in one hand. You say it's not the same? Perhaps you're right. Hotels have plugs and free WIFI that actually works...