What ever happened to those entertainment devices (with movies, TV, and newspaper articles) that AA was testing on its MD-80s? Did AA decide not to implement them? Or is there a timetable for when they will be put into service?

Thanks.
-Matt

The program with the rental units was deemed a failure. AA will not introduce these on the fleet. With most passengers now having IPODS, DVD Players, Lap Tops etc...there is little need to provide pay entertainment.

I agree....I was on two different AA flights yesterday...ORD-DFW-OAK (got ultra-cheap flights-as opposed to my usual ORD-SFO route)..and both were completely full, with the first one not even having an emergency exit row seats empty...it doesn't seem as if the removal of food service, MRTC, or lack of entertainment has made a big deal so far...most people brought their own form of entertainment..which I think is the way to go...I plug in my laptop into the powerport and I'm good to go!

Of course, with my flights involving DFW in one way or the other....I'm sure thats part of the reason for the full flights.....

So let's see, AA takes off the free food and puts on overpriced snacks. Then, they pull the 737s out of ORD, so virtually every flight to the West Coast is an MD-80 with no free IFE.

Then, AA decides that the pay entertainment isn't working. There are people, like me, who don't own a laptop, MP3, or or Ipod.

But for the fact that I'm an AMR shareholder, I would be flying UA in a New York minute.

Quoting Jacobin777 (Reply 2): Of course, with my flights involving DFW in one way or the other....I'm sure thats part of the reason for the full flights.....

the flights are generally full St. Louis to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, etc. and of course, these are the no frills Super 80's.

i agree with the United comment. went to LGA last month and had entertainment STL-ORD and ORD-LGA and return.

Lets put it this way, when flying on an American Airlines MD80, bring a sandwich to eat and a book to read.......you are basically on your own!

I really don't understand why people piss and moan about IFE, maybe most people don't and it's just the people around here, I dunt' know. It doesn't make a huge difference to me.

There is nothing super about flying the MD80 at AA.  

Regards.

With the exception of the A.netters, over 90% of the travel public could care less about IFE, and are just as happy to bring their snacks. Most people could not even tell the difference between a Super80 or a 737.

I thought the entertainment on AA's MD 80's was watching the pained look on people's faces as they are cramped into those seats for a 3+ hour flight!

The last flight I was on AA MD80, (DFW-AUS), the head flight attendant doing the safety announcements said and I quote, "Please refer to your safety card of our Boeing aircraft." Didn't know Boeing was making this MD product.  

Regards.

Maybe some folks should try an older form of entertainment....A good book of any variety. Expand thier minds!

Now I am offering the above somewhat tounge in cheek...but anymore I could care less about the movie on a domestic run flight. I will listen to the music offered on IFE on the 737/757/767/777/AB6 of AA as I don't own an iPod either. But it is not a deal breaker. And as someone above, I am a shareholder also and looking for any way to be profitable again.

Quoting Type-Rated (Reply 9): I thought the entertainment on AA's MD 80's was watching the pained look on people's faces as they are cramped into those seats for a 3+ hour flight!

oh, please! not only on Super 80s -- on all aircraft type! Flights over 3+ ...

Quoting Aa777flyer (Reply 8): With the exception of the A.netters, over 90% of the travel public could care less about IFE, and are just as happy to bring their snacks. Most people could not even tell the difference between a Super80 or a 737.

I think you are mistaken. My clients are forced to fly AA because of the deep discounts, but in the times that they have tried Song, for example, they come extremly surprised and ask me to book them on Song whenever possible. One of the main reasons is because of the IFE and of course because of better service. The majority don't know a MD80 vs a 757, they just now that having IFE was better than not having it. They just realized what they have been missing by being stuck flying on AA due too corporate policy.

Think about jetblue as well. One of the main ingredients they had to compete in the beginning was their breakthorugh IFE (in addition to new planes and better service.)

IF AA matches the LCC fares their only advantage is advAAntage. But if you are not a frequent flyer, then you get more value with a LCC that offers IFE. At least you have a more enjoyable flight. Times goes by faster and your cramped space seems less important.

I think the failure of AA IFE rental was the price and maybe the movie offerings.

Quoting Type-Rated (Reply 9): thought the entertainment on AA's MD 80's was watching the pained look on people's faces as they are cramped into those seats for a 3+ hour flight!

Try 5 hours...I did, it wasn't bad...

A question, do the AA MD80's all have power ports in coach?? I have been given a few different answers recently, so if there is someone in the "know" I would appreciate. I am doing a LGA-DFW-MSP-DFW-LGA all MD80's, and since I am a UA regular I rejoice at the chance to ride an MD80.

F

Quoting 777STL (Reply 6): I really don't understand why people piss and moan about IFE, maybe most people don't and it's just the people around here, I dunt' know. It doesn't make a huge difference to me.

you dont' see me complaining, and if they can keep the frills low and prices down, i'm all up for it.........as long as i get to get an emergency exit row seat, power up my laptop and byof, i'm more than fine with it (which isn't asking a whole heck of a lot, no cost to the aircarrier too)....   

Quoting STLGph (Reply 4): the flights are generally full St. Louis to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, etc. and of course, these are the no frills Super 80's.

don't forget to add ORD....and I certainly don't mind the Super80's one bit, but what are they going to do when they get old in the tooth? I think Boeing needs to address this problem (I'm under the assumtion AA isn't going to be looking at Airbus for a loooooong while)

Quoting D950 (Reply 15): A question, do the AA MD80's all have power ports in coach??

The reason you are getting mixed responses is that most of the seats in economy have them but not all. I believe that the MD80s were fitted with power ports when MRTC was installed a few years ago. However not all seats have it. All the seats near the front have the power ports, and the power ports skip around in about every other row near the exit. In the loud as hell zone in the back, there are no power ports. I think www.seatguru.com has a map.

Quoting Aa777flyer (Reply 8): With the exception of the A.netters, over 90% of the travel public could care less about IFE

I honestly think you are wrong on that over generalization. I don't know of any scientific data that was taken about the fact, but IFE does make a difference. Long haul IFE does matter, and premium (livetv etc) makes a difference too. Now a good question is, does the overhead monitor IFE make a difference? NW definitely thinks now, while UA definitely thinks yes. Obviously it does make for a better experience for some passengers. Now the true question you should be asking is, is it worth the extra cost?

IFE can be heavy, and expensive to operate/maintain. When a superior system like the one offered by JetBlue/Song/Frontier is available as a marketing point, there can be a true difference. Plenty of people love JetBlue because of the extra legroom and the fact that they can watch TV. It is a huge selling point. UA feels that offering free IFE (at least audio) on every mainline flight is important. If you take a walk through a plane on an ORD-OAK flight you probably will notice a number of people with United Headphones on listening to music, channel 9, or watching the movie. When a good movie is being played, you will often see almost the entire plan watching. I remember being on a UA flight that had Seabiscuit playing and everybody was cheering and making noises at dramatic points in the movie. I also saw the same when Ocean's 12 was playing. People do watch it if it is offered!

Does this mean more revenue? Maybe. There might be a few people (especially frequent flyers) that appreciate a movie occasionally and Economy Plus which bring UA their loyalty. AA out of ORD at least has very little IFE. It does hurt them. Economically IFE has made a better overall impression for UA on some people. However it is expensive. Outfitting the MD80s outright is prohibitively expensive. AA tried to pull an AS by offering DigE players, but it didn't work out that well. They can be a hassle, and break down. Often people don't want to pay extra for one even though they would probably use it if it were free. AA has done plenty of economic analyses and found that things like IFE, pillows, free meals... etc don't make enough of a difference. UA feels that the first two matter. NW feels that they don't. It is impossible to have perfect competition and an airline that fits everyone's goals of what they should be. This is the joy of oligopoly style competition. There are brand differences. If you like what you get in one place, then take it. Executives at all the majors are working hard on trying to decide what amenities are the best to offer and might bring the airline towards the biggest possible profit. There are reasons why management people have gone to business school and earned college degrees. It is a tough decision to make that needs to be carefully examined and not over generalized.

Thanks RoseFlyer, I am in 11D on all legs, so I will bring my "cord" with hopes. On UA its 50-50 depending which craft wether or not the ports work. Thanks again!!

F

D950 I forgot to mention another thing though. None of the ex-TWA planes have the power ports, so that might also be a reason why there are mixed results.

I don't like to bring a lot of electronics on a flight, because it just seems to hold up the screening process at security. Any time that I have both an electric shaver and a cellphone, the screener runs my bag through the x-ray machine at least twice. So, if I throw a Walkman and some CDs in, I figure that's another pass through the machine.

Now that I have a toddler, it would be nice to have some IFE. A PED with cartoons would keep him entertained for a substantial amount of time.

Even audio alone would work, because I could put the stereo on the classical channel and keep him occupied for a while.

My idea of IFE: Get a window seat. That's all this airliner nut needs!

I always have to run to the defense of the AA MD80. I think it's one of the best domestic US jets to fly on...... 2X3 seating (fewer middle seats), AA's new style seats withs headrests, and it's very quiet forward of middle E-exits.

HOLD ON! The PEDs are NOT dead. The test was recently completed and AA is compiling the data to determine whether or not the test was a success. Early indication is IT WAS. As a matter of fact, demand was overwhelming for the device, including on 757 flights where traditional IFE is offered. The need for analysis now is to determine how to roll this product out system wide and weigh potential return versus the initial investment. Those are not simple answers, and AA will surely check and recheck the numbers before making a decision. No decision has yet been made.

Not all of AA's MD-80s have power ports. The former TWA birds were not equipped with them, however, they are being added as we speak. The project should be complete by the end of summer. This also goes for expanding the overhead bins on former TWA MD-80s.

As for calling an MD-80 a Boeing? Guess what? AA calls it a Boeing. It's in the manual that way. Why? It is a Boeing, by default. Calling it a McDonnell Doulgas airplane now would be like saying, "Welcome aboard TransWorld flight 1509," when flying on a former TWA plane. I know their's nostalgia and fond memories for MDD, but calling an MD-80 a Boeing is not incorrect.

And if you don't believe me, check out the link:
http://www.aa.com/content/aboutUs/ourPlanes/boeingMD80.jhtml
Just look at the url and it gives it all away.

Quoting QQflyboy (Reply 24): As for calling an MD-80 a Boeing? Guess what? AA calls it a Boeing. It's in the manual that way. Why? It is a Boeing, by default. Calling it a McDonnell Doulgas airplane now would be like saying, "Welcome aboard TransWorld flight 1509," when flying on a former TWA plane. I know their's nostalgia and fond memories for MDD, but calling an MD-80 a Boeing is not incorrect.

Technically, those MD80s were built by McDonnell Douglas, not Boeing. It's all in the semantics. So do we call DC10s, DC8s, DC9s, and MD11s Boeing too? Now the 717, many of those were technically built by Boeing which is why they changed the name from the MD95.

So AA now flies Boeing MD80s? Hahahaha.....

Quoting Ckfred (Reply 21): I don't like to bring a lot of electronics on a flight, because it just seems to hold up the screening process at security.

Sorta tricky when you're traveling on business