I still miss XM Radio on United, but earlier in the year United teamed up with Microsoft to offer "Zune inflight audio" across the UA fleet. The new audio selections have been well recieved by passengers and United and Zune are now taking their relationship a step further.
In the coming months, look for portable Zune players in premium cabins (and perhaps for rent in economy) on flights between Hong Kong/Australia and the United States.
The obvious question, of course, is who doesn’t already carry a portable media player with them on a 14-hour flight? Microsoft’s answer is that the Zune will be packed with exclusive music and some movies that have yet to be released on DVD.
Without looking at the economic considerations factoring into this partnership, I applaud the move to make Zunes available onboard UA’s longest flights (any improvements on UA should be applauded). I would prefer, however, Jetstar’s iPad rental.
(tip of the hat to Sean)
Something is better than nothing here, especially if you’re stuck in economy. And by going with Zune… no one will want to steal those.