American Airlines to restore seat-back screens, add premium seats in profit push

CHICAGO – American Airlines said on Aug 18 it would add more premium seats and restore seat-back entertainment screens on its narrow-body jets, stepping up its bet on higher-spending travellers as it tries to narrow a wide profit gap with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Chief executive officer Robert Isom has ramped up premium upgrades to lift American’s earnings as US airlines compete more aggressively for premium revenue.

American said premium seating would rise to about 40 per cent of seats on narrow-body departures in coming years from roughly 25 per cent today. It will add more first class seats and main cabin seats with extra legroom as aircraft are reconfigured and new jets join the fleet.

At American, premium travellers generated nearly half of ticketed revenue in the second quarter while accounting for roughly 30 per cent of seats.

The airline, however, continues to trail Delta and United in profitability, adding to pressure on Isom to show the strategy can close the gap.

Flight attendants earlier in 2026 called for a leadership change, while the pilots union has questioned whether the current management team can deliver the improvement.

American expects roughly break-even results in 2026, while Delta and United have forecast solid profits. Isom last week shook up senior management and acknowledged a “meaningful gap” between American’s performance and where it should be.

Seat-back screens return

The return of seat-back screens also marks a reversal of American’s previous in-flight entertainment strategy. The airline began moving away from the screens nearly a decade ago, betting that passengers would instead watch movies and TV series on their own devices.

American said customer preferences have since changed, particularly among younger travellers, who increasingly want access to larger screens alongside their own devices. Advances in high-speed satellite Wi-Fi have also made it possible to offer a more connected and personalised onboard experience, the airline said.

The carrier expects more than 800 narrow-body aircraft to ultimately have seat-back screens. Retrofits will begin in 2028 and are expected to be completed in the early 2030s, while new Airbus and Boeing aircraft with the screens will also begin arriving in 2028.

American already has more than 140 wide-body and Airbus A321XLR aircraft with seat-back screens. It declined to disclose how much it expected to spend on the programme. REUTERS