From Apple TV+ to Paramount+: Air Canada and British Airways Boost Entertainment

Air Canada and British Airways have recently improved their in-flight entertainment systems, offering new and enhanced content to enhance the customer experience.

Air Canada has partnered with tech giant Apple to show exclusive content from its streaming platform Apple TV+, with programming now available on its in-flight entertainment systems as of August 1. Travelers flying with the Canadian flag carrier can now watch the likes of Ted Lasso, Bad Sisters, and Severance onboard.

Photo: Courtesy of CNW Group/Air Canada

This new addition adds to an already extensive range of in-flight entertainment options, with the airline now offering more than 2,500 hours of film, TV, podcasts, and music. This includes over 420 movies, 1,000 TV episodes, and 130 music albums. And in November last year, it became the only Canadian airline to offer live TV onboard, with live sports and news channels available in English and French.

Air Canada has also partnered with Mattel recently to provide families and children some light relief with some of the most popular kids’ shorts. At the same time, it introduced a free in-flight messaging service to Aeroplan members on all WiFi-equipped aircraft in May.

“At Air Canada, we know that in-flight entertainment is an important part of our customers’ travel journey, particularly on long-haul flights,” said John Moody, Managing Director of Air Canada. “We continually evaluate opportunities to expand our entertainment and introduce exclusive, current content that our customers will love.

“We look forward to welcoming customers onboard to catch up on their favorite Apple TV+ shows or discover new hits during their flight. This new partnership with Apple puts us on track to increase our onboard entertainment content by more than 95 percent since last year. We look forward to introducing even more entertainment before the end of 2023.”

British Airways IFE Upgrades

Meanwhile, British Airways has announced that it has doubled the amount of in-flight entertainment content on its long-haul flights since the beginning of the year. This August, passengers can choose from over 75 boxsets and 20 classic movie franchises, including Harry Potter and Indiana Jones, and over 50 newly released blockbusters, such as Paint and The Covenant.

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways

The U.K. carrier has also partnered with Paramount+ to offer even more exclusive content, and it even has its own dedicated British Originals channel that includes comedy highlights from the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Family and young travelers won’t be disappointed either, with 26 Kid’s Classics to choose from, including Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol and a ‘Summer Fun’ channel with the likes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Trolls.

Meanwhile, those who prefer to sit back and listen can choose from more than 770 pieces of music and podcasts.

“We know just how important it is to provide a great range of entertainment for our customers to enjoy during their journeys, and it’s one of the things they look forward to most when they fly with us, so we’ve been working hard to source new content, doubling the amount available at our customers’ fingertips,” said Calum Laming, Chief Customer Officer of British Airways.

“We’ve partnered with brilliant brands like Paramount+ and even created a dedicated British Original channel. From a newly released blockbuster film to the latest podcast, there’s something for everyone to enjoy during their flight this summer.”