I never fly without a good book tucked into my carry-on. I’ve boarded too many short-haul flights with no screens on the seatbacks, so I know to have a backup plan to pass the time.
But on flights where I do hit the in-flight entertainment jackpot — and provided those screens are actually working — I revel in the delight of having so many movies, TV shows, and music choices at my fingertips.
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My husband also boards with reading material, but he always has his trusty earbuds and downloaded playlists, too. Squaring away our in-flight entertainment helps make the travel experience more pleasant — which is high praise, given that Newark International Airport is our home hub.
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But now that our airline of choice has just made a game-changing upgrade for future flights, spending more time on the tarmac might not be so bad.
United Airlines now includes Spotify as part of its in-flight entertainment.
Image source: Shutterstock
United welcomes aboard Spotify to its in-flight entertainment
United (UAL) has just announced a new in-flight entertainment collaboration with Spotify (SPOT) , bringing the massive streaming service to its 4K Bluetooth-enabled seatback screens onboard more than 680 aircraft.
All told, over 450 hours of content will be delivered for free to over 130,000 screens on United flights. MileagePlus members, rejoice!
“Spotify has a huge audience and people love their content. And now our customers can enjoy it all in a simple and easy way, at 35,000 feet,” said MileagePlus CEO Richard Nunn in a statement. “Together, we’re giving millions of customers an entirely new way to experience and explore premium content from the world’s most popular artists, authors, and podcasters – all while flying with the latest technology in the sky.”
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While this new Spotify access is available now, starting in 2026, passengers will be able to use their personal devices to log on to the Spotify app on the seatback screen, allowing them to enjoy their own curated entertainment.
Spotify has previously collaborated with other airlines. It’s part of Emirates’ in-flight entertainment, and it’s boarded Delta as part of “The Passport Sessions,” a music and culture series.
But this new United collaboration is unique in that, for the first time, a selection of Spotify’s audiobooks and video podcasts will also be available for free. Passengers can tune into more than 65 additional content options, including “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” “The Dave Chang Show,” and “The Comment Section with Drew Afualo”.
Entertained passengers could land as new Spotify subscribers
In celebration of the launch, MileagePlus members who are new to Spotify’s Premium Individual plan can get up to 1,000 bonus miles when they subscribe.
Spotify currently has 678 million users and close to 270 million subscribers worldwide, per the company’s website. This new in-flight entertainment strategy could turn into more paying subscribers once passengers are back on the ground.
“As a frequent United flyer myself, it’s incredibly exciting to see Spotify now available on the world’s largest airline,” said Spotify Business Development VP Ian Geller. “At Spotify, we’re dedicated to being everywhere our users are, giving creators opportunities to reach new platforms and engage different audiences.”
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The Spotify collab comes on the heels of another big change for United. It’s teaming up with JetBlue (JBLU) in a program called Blue Sky, which will allow customers to earn and use MileagePlus miles and TrueBlue points at both airlines.
Loyalty program members can still access their benefits, including priority boarding and complimentary access to seats with extra legroom, when traveling with the other airline.
Blue Sky also includes a flight exchange: JetBlue will give United up to seven daily round-trip flights out of JFK International Airport, and per a net-neutral exchange, the airlines will also trade eight flight timings at Newark International Airport. Some parts of Blue Sky will launch this fall, pending regulatory review.
It’s not a complete solution to the air traffic woes in the New York City area, but at least United — and now Spotify — are trying to make travel a bit easier.
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