American’s new 737 MAX won't have seatback screens

Last week American Airlines joined the pack of airlines offering no-frills basic economy fares with carry-on restrictions.

American latest to add 'Basic Economy,' carry-on restrictions

The no-frills theme continues this week, with the announcement that when the Fort Worth-based carrier takes delivery of its new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft later this year, the plane will have no seatback monitors for viewing in-flight entertainment.

The airline still plans to offer its passengers content to watch, but it expects and assumes passengers will be able to stream airline-provided content on their own devices.

“More than 90 percent of our passengers already bring a device or screen with them when they fly,” American said in a statement released to employees. “So it makes sense for American to focus on giving customers the best entertainment and fast connection options rather than installing seatback monitors that will be obsolete within a few years.”

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For passengers who find themselves on a monitor-less plane, American promises that if they have a phone, tablet or laptop they will be able to watch “free movies and TV shows from our extensive on-board library, as well as free live television channels, all without purchasing an in-flight Internet connection.”

For those who want to pay to get online, the airline says the high-speed, satellite-based Internet access it is installing on the MAX and other aircraft “is so fast that everyone on the plane can stream Netflix, Amazon, and other video-on-demand, as well as text and surf the web over a connection that’s just as fast as what they have in their homes.”

American says both its free streaming library and its new satellite Internet service will work gate-to-gate and that this approach seems like the right option for domestic flights.

However, the carrier said it will continue to offer seatback screens for customers flying internationally.

“We’ll keep seatback monitors on Boeing 777s, 787s, Airbus A330s, and our A350s, which begin arriving next year. We’re also committed to seat-back screens on our three-class A321s.”

Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and USA TODAY Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.