United Airlines has added a high-profile entertainment upgrade for travelers: the carrier will now offer full seasons of select Apple TV+ originals for free onboard, making it easier than ever to binge your favorite shows at 30,000 feet.
United Airlines Adds Apple TV+ Originals To Inflight Entertainment
As part of its ongoing investment in inflight entertainment, United is bringing a curated selection of Apple TV+ hits directly to passengers’ seatback screens and the United mobile app. The lineup includes full seasons of popular series like Severance, Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, and Silo. More shows, including The Morning Show and Bad Sisters, will debut in September.
Passengers can now enjoy:
- Over 250 episodes of TV shows, films, and documentaries from Apple TV+
- The ability to start a show on one flight and continue on another using the United app.
- Free access on both domestic and international flights with seatback entertainment
Apple TV+ content will appear in a dedicated channel within United’s inflight entertainment system. The move comes after Apple TV+ earned 81 Emmy nominations this year, led by Severance, the most-nominated series of 2025. Mark Muren, United’s Managing Director of Product, Identity and Loyalty, explained:
“Apple creates groundbreaking original series, and United travelers are going to love watching fan-favorite Apple Originals for free on their next flight. We’re setting a new standard for a premium inflight experience, and our first-of-its-kind collaboration with Apple TV+ gives fliers more high-quality content options on the latest high-definition seatback screens.”
Part Of A Bigger United Entertainment Push
This initiative aligns with United’s United Next growth plan, which includes installing seatback screens in every seat and rolling out 27-inch, 4K OLED displays on new aircraft. United plans to have more than 300,000 seatback screens across its fleet, more than any other U.S. airline.
The partnership with Apple is not new—United and Apple have previously collaborated on:
- Live Activities on iPhone and Apple Watch for real-time flight updates
- Bag tracking integration with Apple’s “Find My” network for AirTag users
- Equipping employees with iPhones and iPads
CONCLUSION
United’s Apple TV+ collaboration is a smart move that capitalizes on the binge-watching habits of modern travelers while elevating the airline’s already strong inflight entertainment game. For passengers, it’s a win…especially for those long-haul flights when hours in the air can be filled with popular content. And even with American Airlines also offering Apple TV+, for United, it’s another way to distinguish itself by continuing to install seatback screens while AA rips them out.
Apple TV, Spotify, Starlink. What’s next, United NEXT?
I’ve got better things to do on flights than watch crappy TV. Like sleeping.
Darius, watching the programming isn’t mandatory. You’ll be allowed to sleep. But some will want to watch the shows.
Shocked a pleeb like yourself is able to sleep in 42E