United Airlines Jets Now Offering Bluetooth

United Airlines is adding compatibility for Bluetooth headphones to the in-flight entertainment seatback screens of its new Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, which has been a long-awaited feature. According to the business, the overhaul is part of “United Next,” a new initiative to grow and modernize the firm’s fleet with larger, more fuel-efficient jets and a more comfortable in-flight experience.

People haven’t flown in two years for obvious reasons, but dealing with the strange two-pronged audio connectors that airplanes utilize for inflight audio has brought most of the previous flying experience to a standstill. Of course, it’s not challenging to get headphones with a 3.5mm audio socket. Still, it doesn’t reflect the Bluetooth audio lifestyle that Apple and other tech giants have gradually forced us to adopt.

Not many like being a wireless audio obsessive, but it’s occurred, which is why United’s enhancements are so thrilling, as demonstrated by aviation reporter Jason Rabinowitz’s tweets below. The addition of seatback screens made a tremendous impact on how tolerable flying is now, but it’s been hampered by poor audio support to the point where The Verge has produced a how-to guide. And this isn’t just a United Airlines problem.

Other airlines, such as Delta and JetBlue, have had seatback screens for years, but they come with analog audio. United Airlines might be one of the first airlines to implement the next round of in-flight entertainment upgrades (hopefully). There is, however, the opportunity for things to go awry. United’s new 737 Max 8 jets have ten or 13-inch inflight entertainment screens on the backs of all seats as part of their improvements, which could result in many passengers trying to connect to Bluetooth at the same time. This could cause interference, and it could also make joining your headphones more difficult if you have to search through many devices to find the right one.