Originally Posted by
shuigao
This is in place already in some LCC's (for example - Singapore's
Scoot).
I don't like it at all, because of a lack of comfort -- you either place your device on the tray table (therefore needing to strain your neck by looking down), or lift it up to eye level (therefore tiring out your arms).
United has had this for a while (tried it on their 747).
I think the market is going to diverge between two options:
- ULCCs, LCCs, regional, and possibly non-transcontinental domestic (excluding premium NYC-SFO/LAX routes) will go Wi-Fi only long term.
- International and premium domestic routes will keep the screens.
Obviously having screens is better than no screens to most passengers, but if the flight is three hours or less it just really doesn't make that big of a difference at all.
A more pressing problem is the amount of content. On recent AA/VX/B6 flights from SFO-JFK, the free content was pretty much nonexistent.