United Airlines Ushers In New Era Of In-Flight Fun With 4K Displays, Bluetooth
In partnership with Panasonic Avionics, United Airlines will soon make long-haul journeys less of a chore. While Economy Class seats will still remain the least comfortable of the options, the cabins will get an upgrade in the form of larger, crisper in-flight entertainment displays.
From 2025, passengers on board the airliner’s Boeing 787 and Airbus A321XLR planes will enjoy Astrova seatback screens equipped with 4K OLED technology, so whatever movie or television show one’s binging will appear more immersive and high-definition than ever before.
That’s not all. These displays provide high-fidelity 3D spatial audio through Bluetooth connectivity—meaning travelers will no longer need to use airline-assigned headphones and can directly connect wireless earbuds or headphones to the setup.
@PanasonicAero unveils five new, larger 4K OLED screens for its Astrova portfolio for First and Business Class.
— Panasonic Avionics (@PanasonicAero) June 6, 2023
Screens come in five airline sizes: 19, 22, 27, 32, and 42 inches, boosting Astrova’s appeal for the widebody aircraft market.
More here: https://t.co/3sfTBhFJGP pic.twitter.com/ay8FiBDqou
In addition, each Astrova set offers USB-C ports for convenient charging of phones with up to 100 watts of DC power. According to Aviation Week, it’s expected that United Airlines will place 10-inch displays in Economy Class and 13-inch displays for First Class flyers.
“Our customers tell us that they want to be engaged, entertained, and productive in the air. Our new partnership with Panasonic Avionics will make that possible and enable us to set a new standard of in-flight excellence,” said Mark Muren, Managing Director of Identity, Product, and Loyalty at United Airlines.
“Together United and Panasonic will drive new standards of engagement when customers come on board a United aircraft.”
[via Engadget and stupidDOPE, cover image via Panasonic Avionics Corporation / PR Newswire]
