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UA's 737-900 Aircraft With no Entertainment System

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Old Sep 17, 2013, 6:15 pm
  #196  
 
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But who needs IFE these days? The first thing I'm on aboard a direct TV equipped 737 is to turn off the screen. I use my iphone or netbook for entertainments.
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 6:41 pm
  #197  
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Originally Posted by flyingnosh
I was happy to be on a dark 739 red-eye the other day. No flashing commercials to wake me up.
Love the dark 739 on a red-eye.

Originally Posted by nova08
You can turn the screen off...and I've been on flights when the FAs made several announcements to instruct people to turn their screen off if they weren't watching.
Yes, one can turn the screen off, but in Y I find that the DTV armrest controls are placed exactly where my arm wants to be and I have to repeat the "turning off" process 3-4 times per flight after accidentally turning the screen on again. What I really wish the DTV flights would provide is some "audio only" content. Until then, it's Hello iPod for me.
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 8:09 pm
  #198  
 
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I guess I've been relatively lucky, all my 739 planes I've ridden in had PTVs this year (I only rode 6-7 739s though).

Today was my first experience riding in a non-PTV 739 PHX-DEN. Since it was a short 2hr flight in the early morning, no complaints. Appreciated the darker interior for snoozing.
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 8:14 pm
  #199  
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Originally Posted by mediator
But who needs IFE these days? The first thing I'm on aboard a direct TV equipped 737 is to turn off the screen. I use my iphone or netbook for entertainments.
+1 to that - after the 10 minutes of ads run of course
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 9:00 pm
  #200  
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Originally Posted by mediator
But who needs IFE these days?
People who like watching live sporting events for one
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 10:56 pm
  #201  
 
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Originally Posted by kale73
Yes, one can turn the screen off, but in Y I find that the DTV armrest controls are placed exactly where my arm wants to be and I have to repeat the "turning off" process 3-4 times per flight after accidentally turning the screen on again. .
This drives me crazy. The placement of the IFE controls on the new 739s is awful. Turns the screen back on, flips channels. Instead of being recessed, it seems like it is actually sticking out from the armrest. Just a terrible design.
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 10:57 pm
  #202  
 
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Originally Posted by honmani2
Before booking, how can you tell if the plane has IFE or I guess AVOD is the right term?

This is for economy seating. I've flown to and from HNL any number of times and there are flights with no IFE. Of course, it has directTV which doesn't work over the Pacific.
Well, you can still watch the looping movies. Of course, you'll still need to pay.
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Old Sep 18, 2013, 11:48 am
  #203  
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Originally Posted by CMK10
Originally Posted by mediator
But who needs IFE these days? The first thing I'm on aboard a direct TV equipped 737 is to turn off the screen. I use my iphone or netbook for entertainments.
People who like watching live sporting events for one
Or people like goalie-dad who doesn't/can't sleep on a plane and doesn't have a laptop, smart phone and or tablet
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Old Sep 18, 2013, 12:03 pm
  #204  
 
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Originally Posted by mediator
But who needs IFE these days? The first thing I'm on aboard a direct TV equipped 737 is to turn off the screen. I use my iphone or netbook for entertainments.
I don't always/often have the time to download new content to my iPad I am usually too busy and/or don't have a good enough WiFi connection (like hotels and the UC). I like the TV since it gives several options (movies, sports, COPS, etc) without having to think ahead.
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Old Sep 18, 2013, 12:15 pm
  #205  
 
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Originally Posted by mediator
But who needs IFE these days? The first thing I'm on aboard a direct TV equipped 737 is to turn off the screen. I use my iphone or netbook for entertainments.
Why does a plane need a lavatory if I don't need one for a three or four-hour flight?

The issue isn't whether any individual, highly self-reliant FT'er needs IFE. The issue is whether a first-world airline should make IFE available on brand new aircraft on transcontinental routes. The answer is yes even if I may carry my own iPad with me on a flight.

Last week I flew 6+ hours EWR-SFO on a dark 737. Unfortunately, my iPad's batteries drained on my preceding AMS-EWR flight, the in-seat AC power on the 737 was not working, and there was no time to recharge at EWR between flights. Even self-reliant fliers might enjoy a little IFE from time-to-time.

Marc
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Old Sep 18, 2013, 12:16 pm
  #206  
 
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Originally Posted by kale73
Love the dark 739 on a red-eye.



Yes, one can turn the screen off, but in Y I find that the DTV armrest controls are placed exactly where my arm wants to be and I have to repeat the "turning off" process 3-4 times per flight after accidentally turning the screen on again. What I really wish the DTV flights would provide is some "audio only" content. Until then, it's Hello iPod for me.
Yes, and yes. The *option* to pay and watch DTV is nice, but I often prefer flying on an Airbus for the free audio, channel 9 (sometimes), and movie-that-I-may-or-may-not-want-to-watch followed by a few sitcom reruns. I don't like that there's no basic entertainment option like that on the DTV planes.
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Old Oct 18, 2013, 11:19 am
  #207  
 
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Just flew SFO - ORD with an hour delay on a 737-900 with nada. It was a little annoying, although I did get through an entire book on Johnny Carson on the flight - - so it was kind of like watching TV.
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Old Oct 18, 2013, 12:50 pm
  #208  
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Just flew my first 737-900 IAD-TPA with no entertainment system. Didn't mind the dark bird, but the seats in F - holy crap, not only are the Y seats going downhill, so are the domestic F seats. Decent lumbar support, but seat bottom padding was pathetic. If I ever have to fly transcon on one of those, I may have to invest in an aftermarket cushion. And a single tiny seat back pocket? What's the deal with that? If this is the future of domestic F across the UA fleet, AA's 738 F product will be my first choice.
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Old Oct 18, 2013, 1:01 pm
  #209  
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Originally Posted by halls120
If this is the future of domestic F across the UA fleet, AA's 738 F product will be my first choice.
But we know it's not, right?
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Old Oct 18, 2013, 1:13 pm
  #210  
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Originally Posted by aacharya
But we know it's not, right?
Earlier this year I chose AA over UA for an IAD-LAX nonstop, and last month I chose AA over UA for a PTY business trip - precisely because AA's F narrowbody product is better than UA's. I'll be flying UA to VIE next month, but once AA finishes its C upgrades, I'll likely take them over UA - especially if they continue to be the cheaper alternative.
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