American Airlines restores seatback screens, expands premium seats
What's new: More than 800 narrow-body jets are set for retrofits starting in 2028 as American pushes premium seating to 40% of cabins.
American Airlines will bring back seatback entertainment screens on its narrow-body fleet and add more premium seats as it tries to narrow a profit gap with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. The carrier said new Boeing and Airbus deliveries from 2028 will include 4K seatback displays, while older jets will be retrofitted in a program expected to run into the early 2030s. American also plans Bluetooth audio pairing and USB-C charging. On narrow-body departures, premium seating is set to rise to about 40% from roughly 25% today through more first-class and extra-legroom seats. American reported $71 million in second-quarter profit, versus $805 million at United and $1.6 billion at Delta.