As the last days of summer drift on by, TV fans are looking forward to the fall because it means new shows are about to premiere and their favorites are set to return. But what if you’re traveling and can’t be in your living room? Sure, you may DVR the latest episodes, but in this day and age, can you ensure you remain safe from spoilers? Now, thanks to a partnership betweenDish Networkand American Airlines, you can get your live TV fix while you’re 30,000 feet in the air.
While this is great news for TV fans, it remains fairly limited for the time being. At the start, only 12 channels are available: Bravo, CBS, CNBC, CNN, Disney Channel, ESPN, FOX, NBC, NFL Network, Telemundo, TNT, and USA. It might be a small number, but it beats the previous number of live TV channels you’d be able to watch on American Airlines flights: Aero.
It’s also a fairly diverse lineup, meaning there’s something for the whole family. Disney is great for the kids, CNN for the avid news junkie, and ESPN and the NFL Network for sports fans. Networks like Fox, CBS, and NBC offer programming you’ll be able to watch with the whole family. Well, that is as long as you’re all in adjacent seats, which isn’t always a given these days.
It’s not guaranteed that you’re going to be able to watch TV on every flight. At the start, the new Dish Network channel offerings are available on 100 aircraft in the American Airlines fleet. That’s not a huge number, but theDish Network blog postannouncing the partnership says that number will expand to more than 700 aircraft during 2019. This new deal applies to only to domestic flights; American Airlines already offers live TV on its international flights.
