United Airlines’ Dominic Green on Starlink, personalised IFE and the future of the connected passenger experience

United Airlines is reimagining what in-flight entertainment can become

What happens when the seatback screen stops being simply somewhere to watch a movie and becomes a personalised digital channel connecting an airline with every passenger onboard?

In this episode of the APEX FTE Podcast, host Max Gosney speaks with Dominic Green, Director, Product Management, Onboard Customer Experiences at United Airlines and President of APEX, about United’s ambitious vision for the future of in-flight entertainment and connectivity.

At the heart of that strategy are two major technology pillars: an extensive rollout of seatback in-flight entertainment (IFE) and the rapid deployment of Starlink connectivity.

But Green explains that the bigger opportunity is what airlines can do when those technologies work together.

From in-flight entertainment to a digital engagement ecosystem

United wants to move beyond the traditional concept of IFE as a passive media player.

Green explains how the airline sees the seatback screen as a one-to-one digital channel with the passenger, while high-speed connectivity creates opportunities to deliver real-time information, services and personalised experiences throughout the flight.

That could mean everything from entertainment and loyalty recognition to relevant offers, connecting-flight information, baggage updates and support when a passenger’s journey is disrupted.

The episode explores how this approach could ultimately turn the aircraft into an extension of the digital relationship airlines already have with passengers through their apps, websites and loyalty programmes.

Why United is investing heavily in seatback screens and Starlink

While some in the industry have questioned the long-term role of seatback IFE as passengers increasingly travel with their own devices, United is investing heavily in both.

Green shares the scale of that commitment, including United’s expanding estate of seatback screens and the rapid deployment of Starlink across its fleet.

Crucially, he explains why United does not necessarily see high-speed Wi-Fi and seatback entertainment as competitors.

Instead, they can complement one another.

Passengers might watch premium content or live sport on the seatback screen while simultaneously using a smartphone, tablet or laptop for productivity, communication or additional content – creating the potential for a genuinely multi-screen onboard experience.

Can airlines finally deliver meaningful personalisation onboard?

Personalisation is another major theme of the conversation.

Green explains why getting personalisation right is much more complicated than simply recommending content based on what somebody watched previously.

A frequent business traveller, for example, might behave completely differently when travelling on holiday with their family.

United is therefore exploring how customer data, context and passenger permission can combine to make the onboard experience more relevant – from remembering entertainment preferences to helping passengers return quickly to the content and services they use most.

Green also discusses the importance of knowing when not to personalise and why passenger consent remains an important part of the equation.

Spotify, Peacock and bringing streaming-style experiences into the aircraft

The conversation also explores how expectations created by streaming platforms at home are influencing airline entertainment.

Green discusses United’s relationships with major entertainment brands including Spotify, Peacock and Apple TV, as well as the airline’s ambition to bring richer connected entertainment experiences onboard.

One particularly interesting development is the convergence of connectivity and seatback entertainment, opening the door to experiences that would have been difficult to deliver through traditional cached IFE alone.

And despite the enormous choice now available to passengers, one familiar feature remains remarkably important: the moving map.

Green explains why passengers continue to engage so strongly with flight maps – and how this traditionally informational feature could evolve into a much broader engagement, entertainment and commercial platform.

What does the future of airline IFE look like?

Looking further ahead, Green identifies two areas that could have a particularly significant influence on the next generation of onboard experiences: ubiquitous high-speed connectivity and deeper personalisation.

The conversation also touches on connected gaming, live content, airline retail, loyalty, advertising, ancillary opportunities and the potential role of artificial intelligence in airline content decision-making.

Green argues that AI could help automate elements of the process while freeing people to concentrate on the creative decisions and experiences where human judgement remains especially valuable.

As airlines gain a powerful connected digital channel to passengers at 35,000 feet, the implications stretch well beyond entertainment.

What could that mean for loyalty? Retail? Customer service? Revenue? And how personalised should an airline experience become?

Listen to the full episode to hear Dominic Green and Max Gosney explore how United Airlines is approaching these questions – and what the evolution of IFE and connectivity could mean for the future passenger experience.

In this episode

Discover:

• Why United sees seatback IFE and Starlink as complementary technologies rather than competing ones
• How United is transforming IFE into a broader digital engagement platform
• Why passenger personalisation requires more than simply having more customer data
• How Spotify, Peacock and Apple TV fit into United’s entertainment strategy
• Why the moving map remains one of the most compelling parts of the onboard experience
• How connectivity could enable new opportunities around live content, gaming, loyalty, retail and ancillary revenue
• Why United believes a premium connected experience should extend across the aircraft
• How AI could influence airline entertainment and content decision-making
• Why collaboration through APEX remains important as passenger experience technology evolves
• How Green expects connectivity and personalisation to shape IFE over the next decade

Listen now to the APEX FTE Podcast for the full conversation with Dominic Green.