StuMcIlwain

12/16 UA988 FRA-IAD, on the entire time, did not have to ask.

ROCUAflyer

12/20 UA500, SFO-IAD, captain announced it would be on.

chuckskyline

12/22 UA 291 SFO-IAD... on the entire flight

PVDtoDEL

12/25 UA58 SFO-FRA (77W) - I asked a flight attendant who looked super confused and had never heard of Channel 9/FTFD. After a lot of confusion, the purser came over and took the request up to the flight deck. Was on for the first few hours and then for the approach starting ~1 hour before landing. Great Christmas present

Say Vandelay

12/22 EWR-SJU 764
12/27 SJU-EWR 764 Asked the captain and he said [incorrectly] that it was only available on the -300.

transportprof

12/26 UA 1684 SFO-LIH, ^ on for the entire flight although it's pretty quiet between Oakland Center's "radar services terminated" and Honolulu Center Approach coming online.

IADdelayed

12/27 UA988 FRA-IAD 👎

While chatting with purser, asked if she'd ask Captain if we could have it on. She grimaced and claimed that most pilots no longer want it on, and besides "it's boring anyway."

Told her I thoroughly enjoyed that it was on gate to gate IAD-FRA, without having to ask. She kind of rolled her eyes, basically said "sorry, you're out of luck," and it was very clear she wasn't going to bother asking. 🙁

mattg85

Currently enjoying my first Ch 9 experience on UA880 IAH - LHR on a Polarized 777-200 N78002. ^
Didn’t ask to have it turned on (although someone else may have done!) - a fair bit of ATC activity whilst flying near Cleveland, OH

This is such an interesting feature but from reading this thread it sadly looks like it doesn’t feature that often

tomsundstrom

12/31 IAD-SFO ^ It was on gate-gate, and I dIdn't even have to ask. First time in a very long time, and a great way to end 2019!

wxguy

This could be the end of Channel 9. Not due to any decision by UA, but rather by the slow demise of voice communications between ATC and commercial aircraft. Routine communications such as altitude changes, reroutes, frequency changes, and other clearances will be given by text.

FAA NextGen Data Communications
Additional detail

Ocn Vw 1K

I predict that over busy land, and positive radar/GPS air routes, there'll still be time-sensitive radio Controller/Pilot communications for some greater years than FAA or other countries' ATC services predict.

Right now, CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Datalink Communications) are being used at busy and some smaller towers to avoid a lot of radio issuance of routine flight plan clearances and altitude changes up to departure. (Used to require a dedicated tower position radio frequency known as "Clearance Delivery".) And for some years, flight plan, route and altitude changes and clearances "over the Pond" (via Gander and Shanwick) and over the Pacific via Oakland ARTCC Oceanic have been handled via the CPDLC system. But those communications have been under non-positive radar environments which were not normally carried over UA's "Channel 9" audio.

junglematt

2/15/20 UA30 EWR-MUC, ^^ On, and the captain made a friendly announcement before we left the gate to tune in

Ryu2

2/15 UA 901 SFO-LHR

i stopped by the cockpit and asked if they'd have CH 9 on and they said sure. Didn't hear it. Later I also asked a FA to ask them and make sure and they said yes, everything was was on. But still nothing for the entire flight. Oh well.

wxguy

A possible scenario: Captain flipped the "OBS ENT" switch on the overhead panel, to ON but the #1 VHF radio volume was down on the left-side jumpseat position. That audio panel is what feeds ATC into the entertainment system.

bocastephen

06FEB SFO TPE asked the purser to request it and it was turned on, at least until the reserve crew took over and turned it off

16FEB TPE SFO was on gate to gate, I’m guessing someone forgot to turn it off, but that’s just the skeptical me