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Home » United Airlines » United CEO Credits His 7-Year-Old Son For Seatback Entertainment In Every Seat
United Airlines

United CEO Credits His 7-Year-Old Son For Seatback Entertainment In Every Seat

Matthew Klint Posted onJune 29, 2021November 14, 2023 27 Comments

a row of seats in an airplane

When it comes to placing screens at every seat onboard, United CEO Scott Kirby wants you to know that he was on the right side of history. He also credits his 7-year-old son for showing how important seatback entertainment is to passengers of all shapes, sizes, and ages.

United Airlines Seatback Entertainment – A Longterm Quest

United Airlines not only announced a huge aircraft order today, but announced it would install personal screens at every seat on every aircraft in its narrowbody fleet, with plans to complete the retrofit process by 2025.

In explaining the reasoning behind this, Kirby argued he has pushed for screens for decades but that it was his 7-year-old son who helped convince him that installing screens simply made sense.

Speaking to journalists and bloggers on a call about the new aircraft order, Kirby explained:

“I put seatback screens on at my last airline, and they got removed after I left.”

Kirby explained that in the early 2000s he had convinced the America West Board to put live TV on its fleet. At the time, only JetBlue offered this connectivity onboard. But when JetBlue caught wind of what America West was up to, it bought LiveTV, the company behind its in-flight entertainment system.

JetBlue ended up holding onto LiveTV from 2002 to 2014 before selling to Thales.

At American Airlines, Kirby added seatback screens to many jets only to see them taken out when he left for United Airlines.

While Kirby says he always supported these screens, he credits his seven-year-old son for fully convincing him to add them to the United narrowbody fleet.

Apparently, on a recent flight Kirby’s wife and 7-year-old flew in first class while Kirby and his other children flew in the back (good dad, good husband!).

His son played Battleship with another passenger on the plane (you can challenge other passengers to a game onboard on certain IFE systems) and won two of three games. He was elated and grinning ear to ear when the flight landed. That’s all he could talk about.

Kirby notes (and I can attest as the father of a four-year-old) that kids become so engaged with seatback entertainment, even when they never watch TV home.

a child sitting in a chair with food in front of a window

Kirby says screens are “something our customers value and will make them pick United more and more often and differentiate us from competitors.” While true, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue also offer seatback screens across their fleet. But that puts United in good company.

CONCLUSION

Kirby claims he has been in favor of adding seatback screens for over 20 years, but it was his 7-year-old son who so clearly demonstrated why this matters. From my own experience, I can attest that customers do love seatback entertainment and will use it when offered…just ask my 4-year-old son…

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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27 Comments

  1. James Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 10:14 am

    As an adult who’s capable of bringing my own entertainment…..

    Space in footwells > IFE

    • Ben Reply
      June 29, 2021 at 10:30 am

      The latest IFE (I believe for 5-6 years now) is able to be tablet-based, with no reduction in the footwell space for a big IFE box. QR had that on their A350s back in 2015, I believe DL has that in their latest planes like the A220s well.

      I won’t claim United’s will definitively have a similar setup, but I would be surprised if they went with the older in-the-footwell box given that’s more weight than the newer systems.

  2. derek Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 10:34 am

    I agree. I don’t want to waste the battery of my phone because a heavily used phone can die in less than 2 years while a lightly used smartphone can last 5.

  3. Joey Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 11:19 am

    I don’t use IFE anymore ever since I learned I could download Netflix/AmazonPrime/Disney+ movies on my smartphone or tablet. I just download the shows/movies I need to catch up on and am content with that. I also bring my own portable charger, mini gorillapod, and bluetooth headphones.

    I agree with James that I’d much prefer more footspace but perhaps I’m not United’s target market and that’s ok.

  4. Derek Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 11:28 am

    Maybe the idea of the Kirby Kutbacks was a myth

    Maybe the problems were Parker at AA and Munoz/Lorenzo at UA

  5. Fly Always Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 1:24 pm

    Good move by UA. AA has sunk to the bottom. Dougie Parker has ripped out the IFE on AA narrowbody planes cut inflight service, added more uncomftable seats but has made millions for himself. AA is not the airline it use to be. They are past due for new leadership to bring it back to what it use to be.

  6. Santastico Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 2:48 pm

    How about having his 7 year old run the company? I bet you he can do much better than his father.

    • Gravelly Point Guy Reply
      June 29, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      Shut up Santastico, why don’t you run your mind as if like you had a brain and soul. Idiot!!!

      • Santastico Reply
        June 29, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        Poor snowflake!!! Have you already left your cave?

  7. ViaPanAm Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 3:22 pm

    We all know exactly why American removed seatback IFE screens. It had absolutely nothing t do with their claim that passengers prefer to watch on their personal devices (they don’t). It had everything to do with Doug Parker’s philosophy that the “customer comes last” and cost containment comes first. Parker has gutted American Airlines – as he did at US Airways – creating the least customer friendly airline of all the majors. His motto: ULCC service at full service prices. Kudis to United (as well as Delta and JetBlue) for providing at least some semblance of consideration for their passengers.

  8. InLA Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 3:52 pm

    I’m hoping that IFE screens on all the seat backs might cut down on incidents of air rage. The discomforts of flying can turn from uncomfortable to irritable, particularly if passengers are bored because they didn’t property plan to entertain themselves except to smuggle on liquid medications. It’s reasonable to blame the discomfort and irritability toward the airline, but then unfair to direct design complaints to the only airline reps in sight—the FAs. The seat back entertainment would be a distraction that could interfere with that progression from discomfort to irritability. Good on United on this one.

  9. Mark Maciuba Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    FYI, THE PHOTO OF THE CHILD IS IN AN AMERICAN AIRLINES FLAGSHIP SUITE!
    NOT UNITED!

    • Shawn Reply
      June 29, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      I think that’s Matthew’s son …

  10. Shawn Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    free wifi >> IFE

    Call me back when Kirby figures that one out.

  11. Steve Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    I’ll wait for the headline in two years when all seatback IFE is removed because Kirby’s kids were woken up on an overnight flight when 75% of the plane left their screens on full brightness looping the same promo video over and over and over….

    In all seriousness, make the TV auto shut-off if a person doesn’t touch it for the first 15 minutes of the flight, or at least dim with a little box in the corner saying “press here to turn on”. I can’t stand trying to sleep and my two row mates just leave their screens flashing constantly with something they aren’t even watching.

    • DC not in DC Reply
      June 29, 2021 at 9:14 pm

      Agreed.

      Seatback screens were innovative when Scott Kirby was 7, but no longer.

    • Joe Reply
      July 4, 2021 at 8:23 pm

      Two words for you killjoys: Eye mask.

  12. Lara S. Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 5:52 pm

    Not everyone has devices for all their kids and trying to keep them entertained with one phone or one iPad is going to be real torture, for them, their parents and everyone around them. Having seat-back entertainment is a no-brainer especially now that its lighter, and takes up so much less space. I guess there is ONE good thing about United.

  13. DC not in DC Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    Now everyone in Economy can bang on the screen 3 inches behind the head of the pax in front of them throughout the flight, making sure no one rests or sleeps.

    The main purpose of IFE is to force everyone to watch Scotty say “The main culprit is jet fuel” and hawk Chase United Explorer cards.

    I bring two devices so I can stream my own downloaded movies and not get interrupted constantly by announcements on IFE.

  14. Paul Reply
    June 29, 2021 at 9:22 pm

    Can they put in non-touchscreens? It’s annoying when the person behind you thinks they have to jab the screen.

    • Derek Reply
      June 29, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      There are non touch screens. It’s called First Class

  15. Dave Crooks Reply
    June 30, 2021 at 7:14 am

    If you cut thru the PR spin, this is a tool to sell advertising on the seatback screen and force the paying passengers to endure it. United’s business passengers just want peace and quiet.

  16. Dave Reply
    June 30, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    This is also a page taken from Continental Airlines. In 2009, when Larry Kellner was CEO of Continental, he made the initiative to put seatback screens on their short haul fleet. At that time, United and American weren’t doing that, let alone US Airways. Kellner from Continental would be proud of this change of heart.

  17. Enoch Snow Reply
    June 30, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    Why do airlines keep recycling Presidents and CEO’s?
    One year AA
    Next year HP
    Next year UA
    Next year back to AA
    Next year DL
    Next year BG
    Next year WN
    Back to AA
    Back to UA
    No doubt a lot of new, fresh ideas!

  18. emercycrite Reply
    July 2, 2021 at 9:29 am

    A little sad it took his child for him to be fully convinced.

  19. JoNo Reply
    August 26, 2021 at 11:46 pm

    It’s kind of sad that he needs his kids to show him the value of IFE. He’s belittling the capabilities and knowledge of his team in order to share a cute story about how his kids provided an epiphany – come on. Airlines are no longer innovating largely because their suppliers – much like Boeing and Airbus, are old companies that have fallen behind.

  20. Pingback: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby's Nose Is Growing On Seat Back Televisions - View from the Wing

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