Southwest flyers to view films on phones

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Passengers on Southwest flights will soon be able to access movies and TV shows streamed to their phones, tablets and laptops, the U.S. airline said.

Row 44, a company that describes itself as a provider of the world's leading in-flight broadband entertainment platform, said Monday it has reached a deal with Disney, Warner Bros., Universal and Fox that will allow air travelers to turn their Wi-Fi devices into in-flight video screens.

The programming will include episodes of "Friends," "Glee," "The Office," "Modern Family" and "The Three Stooges," as well as movies such as "Avatar," the "Harry Potter" blockbusters, "Inception," "Toy Story" and the Alfred Hitchcock classics.

"Passengers want flight time to pass quickly -- and that means a wide selection of entertainment opportunities," Howard Lefkowitz, Row 44's chief commercial officer, said in a statement. "Adding live streaming IPTV television and now an extensive library of on-demand movies and TV shows to our world-leading broadband Wi-Fi connectivity system creates an unmatched in-flight entertainment offering -- an outstanding experience for passengers and maximum revenue-generating potential for airlines. Row 44 brings it all together -- and this is just the beginning of our innovation in this space.

"For airlines that do not want to deal with the cost, weight and installation time of adding seatback screens -- and even airlines with onboard (in-flight entertainment) systems -- Row 44's In-Flight Broadband Entertainment Platform offers a much more robust and modern solution. Passengers already bring their own Wi-Fi devices on-board; the growth in that market has been staggering."

"Southwest knows our customers want the ability to customize their on-board entertainment experience," said Dave Ridley, Southwest's chief marketing officer. "Allowing our customers to choose from hundreds of TV shows and movies on a Southwest flight will be a great addition to the Southwest in-flight product offering. We're very excited about unveiling this service later this year."