United Airlines and Spotify have launched what they are calling “a first-of-its-kind collaboration” for customers travelling on more than 680 of the carrier’s aircraft.
Passengers can now access selected Spotify video and audio podcasts, audiobooks and playlists via their seatback screen.
United said it was the first time that Spotify’s audiobooks and video podcasts had been made available onboard an airline, and highlighted content including Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Dave Chang Show, and The Comment Section with Drew Afualo.
From next year customers will be able to use their personal device to log into the Spotify app on the IFE screen, enabling them to access personalised content.
As part of the partnership the ‘Audio’ section on the carrier’s IFE menu has been replaced with ‘Spotify’, and in the coming months “a majority of aircraft will receive a dedicated ‘Spotify’ featured channel where all Spotify content will be housed together for quick and easy enjoyment”.
United is celebrating the partnership with an offer of 1,000 bonus MileagePlus miles for members who sign up for a Spotify Premium Individual subscription for the first time.
Fellow US carrier Delta has offered curated Spotify playlists and podcasts inflight since 2021, and last year Emirates launched a new partnership with the audio streaming service giving passengers access to selected content via its ICE inflight entertainment system.
Commenting on the news Richard Nunn, CEO of MileagePlus, said:
“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.
“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.”
