A new way to cast your phone onto the seatback screen? It exists, but some airlines have concerns
If you’re hoping to watch a movie, show or video inflight, your options are fairly straightforward. You can watch what the airline offers on its seatback screens (assuming your plane has screens) or stream something on your own device.
But, in the not-too-distant future, some airlines could offer an entirely new option: a way to cast video from your phone, tablet or laptop onto the inflight entertainment system screens.
Last week, Aerospace giant Safran unveiled new technology that would allow passengers to use the seatback screens to play the content that's on their personal electronic devices.
Picture how an iPhone user can AirPlay onto their TV at home or project their laptop onto the screen inside a conference room.
Inflight entertainment could, someday soon, look similar under this new advancement.
“We’re going to, by doing this, create a connected, passenger-curated experience,” Ben Asmar, Safran's vice president of products and strategy, said while addressing reporters last week at Aircraft Interiors Expo — a major industry gathering in Hamburg, Germany.
How inflight screencasting could work
I got a look at Safran’s new setup, which would work with a range of electronic devices.
You’d have to go through a syncing-up process similar to how you set up the link between your phone and TV before a screencasting session.
Then, Safran’s 4K screens could mirror what’s on your phone's home screen and shift to full-screen mode when a video plays (or when you swipe through photos of your recent vacation).
Safran demonstrated that the setup also allows business travelers to prepare for an upcoming meeting by using the seatback screen as a second monitor.
Suffice to say, this isn’t your inflight entertainment experience of the 1980s or 1990s, when the entire plane, in unison, watched the same movie playing on mounted screens — a distant memory I recently saw preserved on a retired Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 at the just-renovated Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta.
“We think this is the first step in terms of redefining what [inflight entertainment] can be, and how passengers can consume content on board,” Asmar said.
Logistical concerns abound
Of course, allowing passengers to cast personal devices onto onboard screens has its fair share of logistical hurdles and practical concerns.
Seth Miller, passenger experience-focused journalist at PaxEx.Aero, noted long-standing industry concerns about what type of content customers might conceivably opt to cast onto their screens — such as adult content — and asked how such snafus might be avoided.
“We’ll have checks and balances in place, for sure," Asmar explained at the news conference. "Ultimately, it will be up to the airline to determine what content they want to show and [don’t] want to show."
When speaking with me, the company acknowledged another possible roadblock: whether screencasting content from major streaming providers (like Disney, Paramount and the like) could introduce licensing hurdles in exchange for allowing copyrighted content to be broadcast from a personal device onto a seatback screen.
Bottom line
So, will this option be available on a flight you take in the near future?
Safran executives told me that U.S.- and Europe-based airlines remain broadly hesitant to allow passengers to cast their devices onto seatback screens at this point. However, they said major global carriers from other regions have voiced interest in the technology.
Still, that such technology even exists — and that onboard Wi-Fi infrastructure can support it — speaks to the inflight tech arms race, of sorts, that has seen airlines routinely aim to outdo one another with the newest bells, whistles and entertainment offerings.
Look no further than United Airlines’ plans to outfit its jets with free Wi-Fi from Starlink and make all its inflight screens Bluetooth headphone-accessible. Delta Air Lines, for its part, is well into outfitting its fleet of jets with free Wi-Fi. It also recently announced a host of inflight entertainment upgrades, including a new onboard partnership with streaming giant YouTube.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.