Could airlines soon get rid of seat-back screens?

Airlines might be trashing seat-back entertainment.
(Image credit: iStock)

If that little black screen installed a few precious inches from your face is the only thing that keeps you from losing your mind every time you buckle in for a long flight, you're in for some bad news: Last month, American Airlines announced it won't be installing seat-back entertainment systems on its new Boeing 737 planes — about 100 new passenger jets it plans to have in use by the end of the year.

And that might just be the beginning: "Most aviation watchers expect that the technology will become obsolete at some point in the coming years, as more people fly with their own devices," The Economist reports.

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Kelly Gonsalves

Kelly Gonsalves is a sex and culture writer exploring love, lust, identity, and feminism. Her work has appeared at Bustle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and more, and she previously worked as an associate editor for The Week. She's obsessed with badass ladies doing badass things, wellness movements, and very bad rom-coms.