United’s IFE Updates See Customer Satisfaction Rise by 18%
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During the 2025 APEX Content Market in Dubai, United Airlines Senior Manager Inflight Entertainment Nisha Thakkar joined APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader on-stage to share exclusive insights into the carrier’s holistic approach to IFE.
United’s IFE experience is underpinned by its commitment to installing in-flight entertainment screens across its entire mainline fleet, announced back in 2021. At APEX Content Market, Thakkar confirmed that the airline has already rolled out seatback screens across 600 aircraft and is expecting that number to increase to 1,000 by 2028.
Thakkar noted that together with the introduction of these new screens, the rollout of a new user experience (UX) on its IFE platform in November 2023 has resulted in customer satisfaction with United’s IFE experience jumping by an impressive 18 percent. She believes this is the result of the carrier creating a holistic offering that’s “larger than just entertainment.”
United’s IFE strategy is based on three key pillars: Engage, Serve and Promote.
Content Curation is Front and Center
When it comes to content, Thakkar explained the airline has focused heavily on content curation to “make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.” To this end, United offers customized content selections depending on whether passengers want to be entertained, to sleep or to work. There’s also a “Kid’s Zone.”
It has also stopped showcasing content in alphabetical order, instead pushing the newest and/or buzziest titles to the top of the list, and offers destination-based content recommendations too. Thakkar uses the example of “Three Perfect Days,” a feature within United’s in-flight magazine that provides itineraries for different destinations. “If you’re traveling to one of those we’ve featured, you’ll see recommendations for what to do there,” she stated.
Furthermore, Starlink’s high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi is set to take flight on United’s mainline fleet before the end of the year. Thakkar said this will mean the airline will be even better equipped to update its aircraft with new content quickly. Rather than taking away from the IFE experience, she believes in-flight connectivity will remain a “complementary, second-screen activity.”
“We don’t want it to feel too commercialized. We want it to feel relevant.”
– Nisha Thakkar, United Airlines
Keeping Passengers in the Loop
In terms of serving passengers, Thakkar said the goal was to provide them with a “bigger picture.” Just last month, it added a new feature to its moving map called “Control Tower,” which shows passengers information about their aircraft while on the ground, including how many planes are ahead of them on the runway and where they’re taxiing to a gate. This is in addition to United providing information about passengers’ upcoming flight connections and the weather at their destination.
Making Advertising Feel Smart and Fresh
When it comes to promotion, United is using data and technology to provide meaningful ad campaigns to its travelers. “We can see everything from what cabin you’re sitting in to if you have a MileagePlus account with us or if you have a credit card. if you have those things, we’re not going to send you those messages,” Thakkar said.
Furthermore, the airline is also making use of frequency capping and asset rotation so that passengers don’t see the same ads throughout their entire journey.
Interestingly, Thakkar revealed that United’s new user interface supports display tile ads, which are seeing “more engagement via IFE than on any other channel right now.” She continued, “If I click on that ad it will take me to a full-page ad or a video. People are hungry for information that is relevant to them and they don’t necessarily feel like it’s advertising in that space, maybe more like we’re communicating different messaging to them. That’s how we’re approaching this, we don’t want it to feel too commercialized. We want it to feel relevant.”
Thakkar’s overarching message is that United is “being very thoughtful in [it’s] approach.” It’s clearly working.