JetBlue debuts updated inflight TV software with cool new features

JetBlue was the first major U.S. airline to offer free live TV on every flight, and now the New York-based carrier is raising the bar once again for the inflight viewing experience.

On Wednesday, the airline unveiled what it's calling Blueprint by JetBlue, a new software system powering the inflight TVs onboard many of its jets.

The software includes a handful of nifty new features, some which the carrier hopes will be a hit with travelers.

Perhaps most interestingly, JetBlue will become the first carrier to allow groups of up to six customers to watch the same content at the same time on different TV screens. You can even play and pause content simultaneously across screens, turning your flight experience into a watch party.

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Blueprint was designed around personalization, JetBlue said, so it's likely no surprise to see that the carrier will offer content recommendations based on previous viewing history. You can even automatically pick up where you left off from your previous flight — no matter if that flight was just a few hours ago (during a connection) or a few months ago.

You'll also be able to save your favorites, and your saved settings around volume, language, parental controls and more will be synced to your profile and shared across screens on all your eligible JetBlue flights.

In order to unlock this new suite of personalized features, you'll need to login to the seatback screens. This requires providing your first and last name, as well as your date of birth.

Previously, JetBlue's TVs welcomed travelers by their first name as part of the first iteration of this feature. Some passengers found this to be creepy, especially when making last-minute seat adjustments onboard the aircraft, so the carrier is adjusting this feature by allowing travelers to change their preferred name on their travel profile, which will be displayed in a personalized welcome message during boarding.

(As part of this, JetBlue will also greet travelers flying on their birthday with confetti graphics on the screens and will give them a complimentary alcoholic beverage, assuming that they are of age.)

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Other enhancements include showing connecting flight information on the screens, as well as seatback ordering on Airbus A321LR and A321neo with Mint aircraft. (This feature has been live for a while on the A321LR, but it is now expanding to the A321neo since that plane now operates some transatlantic frequencies.)

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JetBlue's new entertainment software will roll out in the coming weeks to jets equipped with the Thales AVANT touchscreens. Notably, this excludes the legacy Airbus A321 fleet, which features the original (and very much dated) Mint business-class product.

"By launching Blueprint by JetBlue, we are doubling down on our commitment to help customers create an inflight experience tailored to their needs and preferences, making their flight as comfortable as their own living rooms," said Jayne O'Brien, head of marketing and customer support, in a statement.

While I haven't had a chance to try JetBlue's new software yet, it sounds similar to what Delta is doing with its Delta Sync technology. It remains to be seen if all this personalization will translate to more bookings, but the airlines are seemingly convinced that it'll help them stand out when it comes to choosing which airline you want to fly.

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