Good evening all,

I poised this question in a local forum on Facebook, but it seemed to puzzle some. How many of American Airlines 737-800 have seat back entertainment (ie: video screen)? I am only curious because it appears that AA.com doesn't distinguish which flights have it, and which do not. It simply shows that each flight is WiFi compatible, and have streaming capabilities. If not all 737-800 have it, are there plans for it fleet wide, or type wide?

Thanks in advance.

63 of the 283 737's have inseat entertainment.

There are 63 738s in the AA fleet that have seatback AVOD.

So, are there any plans to retrofit the 738s that don't have AVOD or can we only expect it on the new deliveries?

FirstBizFlyer wrote:

So, are there any plans to retrofit the 738s that don't have AVOD or can we only expect it on the new deliveries?

Only new deliveries.

FirstBizFlyer wrote:

So, are there any plans to retrofit the 738s that don't have AVOD or can we only expect it on the new deliveries?

All new deliveries, same with the Airbii, with free WiFi streaming on personal devices now available it's less costly to just advertise that service than install a bunch of PTVs. Now all they need is electric outlets on the old US fleet and that should cover entertainment in some form on all mainline types with Wi-Fi.

yvphx wrote:

Good evening all,

I poised this question in a local forum on Facebook, but it seemed to puzzle some. How many of American Airlines 737-800 have seat back entertainment (ie: video screen)? I am only curious because it appears that AA.com doesn't distinguish which flights have it, and which do not. It simply shows that each flight is WiFi compatible, and have streaming capabilities. If not all 737-800 have it, are there plans for it fleet wide, or type wide?

Thanks in advance.

IMOP its a dam shame they don't work to get SBE on all or most planes. DP at one time said that it wasn't the best option. Well the market has spoken and Seatback Power is a must and Seatback Entertainment is also must a high priority due to the ever shrinking space and the many people that don't carry tablets ect. People are addicted to digital media and not having in there seats to distract even in the best of situations is short sighted. The AA brand deserves a consistent product. Even though I carry a tablet I don't have hundreds of movies on it. AA has made decent strides but only that imop.

All Airbus models delivered new to AA have AVOD.

The 737-800 fleet, starting from N939NN (3LC), delivered 12/2013, have AVOD.

At this point, there are no immediate plans to retrofit the other units. N901AN (3AA) to N978AN (3DL) are the oldest 737s in the fleet, delivered from 2/1999 to 12/2001. I don't expect much to happen to these 738s for sure.

grbauc wrote:

IMOP its a dam shame they don't work to get SBE on all or most planes. DP at one time said that it wasn't the best option. Well the market has spoken and Seatback Power is a must and Seatback Entertainment is also must a high priority due to the ever shrinking space and the many people that don't carry tablets ect.

If you want to fly a 737 with AVOD, fly Delta. The -700s and -900s were/are all delivered with it. The last of the -800s without AVOD are in refurb getting it now. DL hasn't announced AVOD for MD-88, MD-90, or 717: streaming is it. All other mainline has AVOD or is getting it.

As for AA, there's plenty of ex-US 319s and 321s, too, without AVOD.

I flew an AA 738 last night that was delivered in January 2013 -- No AVOD, only overhead screens.

It seems that, on the 737s that do not have seatback IFE, they provide free streaming through the wifi system. I watched a couple pretty good movies on my last flight, which was on N946AN (15 years old).

Personally, I'm fine with AA not retrofitting PTVs on the older/LUS fleets - I think it's suboptimal from a brand consistency standpoint, but I understand the economic (cost/benefit tradeoff) argument as to why it doesn't make sense. What I think does need to be addressed - and fast - is the inconsistency of powerports and MCE on the LUS fleet.

commavia wrote:

Personally, I'm fine with AA not retrofitting PTVs on the older/LUS fleets - I think it's suboptimal from a brand consistency standpoint, but I understand the economic (cost/benefit tradeoff) argument as to why it doesn't make sense. What I think does need to be addressed - and fast - is the inconsistency of powerports and MCE on the LUS fleet.

Hear hear.

And from SFO, having done it once and being caught with no power, I absolutely avoid routing through LUS hubs because of this (and also because in SFO the LUS flights leave from terminal 1).

I wonder how many passengers do likewise? Or do most simply not realise/care?

MIflyer12 wrote:

grbauc wrote:

IMOP its a dam shame they don't work to get SBE on all or most planes. DP at one time said that it wasn't the best option. Well the market has spoken and Seatback Power is a must and Seatback Entertainment is also must a high priority due to the ever shrinking space and the many people that don't carry tablets ect.

If you want to fly a 737 with AVOD, fly Delta. The -700s and -900s were/are all delivered with it. The last of the -800s without AVOD are in refurb getting it now. DL hasn't announced AVOD for MD-88, MD-90, or 717: streaming is it. All other mainline has AVOD or is getting it.

As for AA, there's plenty of ex-US 319s and 321s, too, without AVOD.

I do Fly DL AA and delta are my preferred airlines. I use to be HP/US and always AA guy. Delta the last few years has won me over. They seem to be a step a head on many things. I had a great FC UA flight the other day in and out of SFO and I hope to see more of the branding there heading towards, my experience on this one flight was good.

vhtje wrote:

commavia wrote:

Personally, I'm fine with AA not retrofitting PTVs on the older/LUS fleets - I think it's suboptimal from a brand consistency standpoint, but I understand the economic (cost/benefit tradeoff) argument as to why it doesn't make sense. What I think does need to be addressed - and fast - is the inconsistency of powerports and MCE on the LUS fleet.

Hear hear.

And from SFO, having done it once and being caught with no power, I absolutely avoid routing through LUS hubs because of this (and also because in SFO the LUS flights leave from terminal 1).

I wonder how many passengers do likewise? Or do most simply not realise/care?

Yep number one issue seat back power. MCE I forgot to mention a tie for me at second with seat back tv. SBEI'll bet covers a multitude of sins that are created in air travel today. SBE is a big help in distracting modern man with are child like attention spans.

grbauc wrote:

yvphx wrote:

Good evening all,

I poised this question in a local forum on Facebook, but it seemed to puzzle some. How many of American Airlines 737-800 have seat back entertainment (ie: video screen)? I am only curious because it appears that AA.com doesn't distinguish which flights have it, and which do not. It simply shows that each flight is WiFi compatible, and have streaming capabilities. If not all 737-800 have it, are there plans for it fleet wide, or type wide?

Thanks in advance.

IMOP its a dam shame they don't work to get SBE on all or most planes. DP at one time said that it wasn't the best option. Well the market has spoken and Seatback Power is a must and Seatback Entertainment is also must a high priority due to the ever shrinking space and the many people that don't carry tablets ect. People are addicted to digital media and not having in there seats to distract even in the best of situations is short sighted. The AA brand deserves a consistent product. Even though I carry a tablet I don't have hundreds of movies on it. AA has made decent strides but only that imop.

AA made $700+ million in net income last quarter. I doubt they regret that decision. The market has proven time and time again that consumers are rarely willing to pay more for a better product.

vhtje wrote:

commavia wrote:

Personally, I'm fine with AA not retrofitting PTVs on the older/LUS fleets - I think it's suboptimal from a brand consistency standpoint, but I understand the economic (cost/benefit tradeoff) argument as to why it doesn't make sense. What I think does need to be addressed - and fast - is the inconsistency of powerports and MCE on the LUS fleet.

Hear hear.

And from SFO, having done it once and being caught with no power, I absolutely avoid routing through LUS hubs because of this (and also because in SFO the LUS flights leave from terminal 1).

I wonder how many passengers do likewise? Or do most simply not realise/care?

Most passengers are likely oblivious to it.

Note that US planes (with US crews) do flow through the legacy AA hubs a bit, though not tons. For example, tomorrow (1/12/17) there are 10 SFO-DFW flights, all on the A321. 8 of these flights are 32B/32S (the pmAA 321 with AVOD). 2 of the flights are 321(pmUS 321).

ty97 wrote:

Most passengers are likely oblivious to it.

"Most passengers," maybe, but I can attest that plenty of high-yielding FFs are most definitely not oblivious to it - they most definitely recognize the inferiority of the LUS product (in terms of powerports and MCE) when they're flying it.

ty97 wrote:

Note that US planes (with US crews) do flow through the legacy AA hubs a bit, though not tons. For example, tomorrow (1/12/17) there are 10 SFO-DFW flights, all on the A321. 8 of these flights are 32B/32S (the pmAA 321 with AVOD). 2 of the flights are 321(pmUS 321).

They're flowing through DFW plenty. I was just on one this week ATL-DFW - that route now sees multiple LUS A320s each day. The same is true - on and off - with plenty of other high-profile, competitive and ostensibly high-yielding business markets out of DFW including LGA, DCA, ORD and SFO. And that's to say nothing of more leisure-heavy routes like LAS, MCO, etc. In 2017, given competitive dynamics and the expectations that AA itself has created among high-yielding and elite FFs/business travelers, the airline should not be putting airplanes without MCE and powerports in elite-heavy business markets. I recognize that it may make sense from a scheduling and asset utilization standpoint occasionally, but if LUS planes are going to be showing up in these markets with this kind of regularity, they need to be upgraded ASAP.

I flew on an AA 738 for the first time in years back in November. While checking in for the ORD-SNA flight I asked my friend's dad - a very frequent and loyal AA flier - what to expect on this type. He knew right away that AA has "old" and "new" 737s, with no way of knowing which one until stepping on board. I braced myself for the worst, and was pleasantly surprised by the cabin's blue mood lighting and very much appreciated the power plug at every seat. Entertainment was only offered via drop down overhead screens, but it was still a very comfortable and enjoyable flight.

Consider the most reasonable alternatives between Chicago and Orange County - UA is also a mixed bag between and among its many different fleet types, while WN doesn't offer power outlets or screens to anybody. AA's product is competitive enough. FWIW my ORD-LAX flight on the 1st of this month was on the A321 with AVOD. Perhaps this is necessitated by the VX competition. In my experience, AA seems to be doing a pretty good job placing its most competitive planes on its most competitive routes. Unfortunately for folks using DFW, there is very little incentive for AA to offer its best product - it's not like NK and WN are offering AVOD entertainment on their flights.

In order for me to determine if an 738 has the in seat IFE, I use the FR24 app to get the plane's registration number, and I cross reference that with this site https://sites.google.com/site/newamericanfleet/home to get the plane details. Of course this is subject to change with last minute aircraft swaps, but I've found it to be reliable.

777PHX wrote:

grbauc wrote:

yvphx wrote:

Good evening all,

I poised this question in a local forum on Facebook, but it seemed to puzzle some. How many of American Airlines 737-800 have seat back entertainment (ie: video screen)? I am only curious because it appears that AA.com doesn't distinguish which flights have it, and which do not. It simply shows that each flight is WiFi compatible, and have streaming capabilities. If not all 737-800 have it, are there plans for it fleet wide, or type wide?

Thanks in advance.

IMOP its a dam shame they don't work to get SBE on all or most planes. DP at one time said that it wasn't the best option. Well the market has spoken and Seatback Power is a must and Seatback Entertainment is also must a high priority due to the ever shrinking space and the many people that don't carry tablets ect. People are addicted to digital media and not having in there seats to distract even in the best of situations is short sighted. The AA brand deserves a consistent product. Even though I carry a tablet I don't have hundreds of movies on it. AA has made decent strides but only that imop.

AA made $700+ million in net income last quarter. I doubt they regret that decision. The market has proven time and time again that consumers are rarely willing to pay more for a better product.

I also agree they don't regret it. > LOL Delta Q4 2016 profit $923 Million USD well see where AA ends up maybe they could of made more then last quarters 700M

AAtakeMeAway wrote:

In order for me to determine if an 738 has the in seat IFE, I use the FR24 app to get the plane's registration number, and I cross reference that with this site https://sites.google.com/site/newamericanfleet/home to get the plane details. Of course this is subject to change with last minute aircraft swaps, but I've found it to be reliable.

Great site!

Looks like anything from N939NN up to N998NN have the seatback entertainment. Of course there are a few stragglers there that are missing, like N975NN or some added out of sequence like N200NV.

thanks!

I use the nose/fleet number for ease in ID'ing the different 738 variants to avoid the issue of the jumping tail numbers. 3GY and up for BSI and 3LC and up for AVOD.

I do like the new attempt to match the nose and tail numbers, but only if they can keep it consistent. Of course, they failed with the first 738. /shrug

vhtje wrote:

commavia wrote:

Personally, I'm fine with AA not retrofitting PTVs on the older/LUS fleets - I think it's suboptimal from a brand consistency standpoint, but I understand the economic (cost/benefit tradeoff) argument as to why it doesn't make sense. What I think does need to be addressed - and fast - is the inconsistency of powerports and MCE on the LUS fleet.

Hear hear.

And from SFO, having done it once and being caught with no power, I absolutely avoid routing through LUS hubs because of this (and also because in SFO the LUS flights leave from terminal 1).

I wonder how many passengers do likewise? Or do most simply not realise/care?

This is very easy 99.9999% of people have no idea what plane they are even on. It certainly stinks to not have power , but AA is not losing sales because of it.

commavia wrote:

ty97 wrote:

Note that US planes (with US crews) do flow through the legacy AA hubs a bit, though not tons. For example, tomorrow (1/12/17) there are 10 SFO-DFW flights, all on the A321. 8 of these flights are 32B/32S (the pmAA 321 with AVOD). 2 of the flights are 321(pmUS 321).

They're flowing through DFW plenty. I was just on one this week ATL-DFW - that route now sees multiple LUS A320s each day. The same is true - on and off - with plenty of other high-profile, competitive and ostensibly high-yielding business markets out of DFW including LGA, DCA, ORD and SFO. And that's to say nothing of more leisure-heavy routes like LAS, MCO, etc. In 2017, given competitive dynamics and the expectations that AA itself has created among high-yielding and elite FFs/business travelers, the airline should not be putting airplanes without MCE and powerports in elite-heavy business markets. I recognize that it may make sense from a scheduling and asset utilization standpoint occasionally, but if LUS planes are going to be showing up in these markets with this kind of regularity, they need to be upgraded ASAP.

Agreed, and they also need to improve the reliability of the power they have if they can. I was on a fairly new 321 on DFW-LAX recently with no working power in my row or the row in front. Others seemed to have it.