[Macworld]

Post your comments for United connects iPods, iPhones on int'l flights here

[russellb]

Where's the Windows Mobile connectors ... ha ha Go Apple

[Filburt]

The upgrade may be rolled out to "entire" international flights, but it sounds like only to business and first class cabin classes.

[Finn123]

What's the benefit of plugging your iPod into the seat? battery recharging only? I can already plug in my headphones directly into the ipod so plugging the headphones into the seat make little sense.
Maybe that is why it is for international flights, recharge your iPod.

[Federalist]

I'm thinking the same thing as you. This only makes sense if United has a video screen for every seat, so that the dock connector allows you to play your videos on a screen.

[cornflakes]

It's 2008 (2010 by the time they're done) and they're barely adding video on demand and making a big deal over an iPod connector. How much money is United spending to license the use of the iPod connector? As others have pointed out, you can listen to an iPod with your regular headphones so why would you want to connect it to their inferior sound system and headphones? It's no wonder United is in trouble.

[jpgagnon]

“The iPod and iPhone have become essential for millions of travelers around the world,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod & iPhone Product Marketing. “We think United customers are going to love being able to listen or watch personal music and video content on their iPod or iPhone via the in-flight entertainment system, and we can't wait for United to roll this out to their fleet."
From the actual press release that was left out of this article.

[cphoffman42]

Even just recharging would be a major improvement. On a recent flight to Prague, my iPod (5G) died with about two-and-a-half hours to go (granted, we had been listening to music and watched all but five minutes of Juno before it died). Having some way to recharge it would have been very much appreciated.

Alas, this sounds like it will not go back to economy class anytime soon. How is it JetBlue can put TVs in every seat on cheap domestic flights, but the big airlines can't do the same for expensive international flights?

[dwilliams]

Delta has recently modified its in-seat connectivity for Coach class. There's a USB connector so you can charge any USB device in your seat. Gone from Coach (at least on the 767-300 I was on this weekend) are the Empower laptop connections.
An iPod dock connector would indicate the ability to use the iPod on the in-seat video system, but may not charge the device. I don't see United doing this across their domestic fleet, as their international planes appear to be the planes that have the in-seat video systems.

[Peter Cohen]

After my experience this past week getting to and from San Francisco for WWDC, I'd settle for a United Airlines that doesn't overbook its flights or cancel flights due to mechanical problems, leaving its passengers high and dry -- iPod connectors and other paraphernalia be damned.

Or, at the very least, offer us an opportunity to receive an injection that would make us comatose, so we can be stacked like cordwood for the trip, and just get the dehumanization of coach-class travel over and done with for the last time.

[pdbreske]

{quote:title=cphoffman42 wrote:} How is it JetBlue can put TVs in every seat on cheap domestic flights, but the big airlines can't do the same for expensive international flights?

{quote}

Real quick: JetBlue's business model is very different from the other big airlines. JB's entire fleet is one kind of aircraft, so they save tons of money on repair parts stocks and training their mechanics to service only one kind of plane.

United and the other major airlines have a dozen different types of aircraft to maintain, some of them decades old. This is a very expensive way to run an airline.