United Offers iPod Seats -- for Upgraded Travelers

As rising fuel prices slash airline profits and a recent charge for checked baggage irks fliers, United Airlines is beefing up its appeal to business travelers through Apple's iPod.

United's international flights are offering an entertainment system with a 30-pin connector to plug in an iPod and listen to music or watch videos on a 15.4-inch screen. Plugging in also charges the device.

"Our guests may now watch or listen to what they want, when they want, with programming they choose," said Graham Atkinson, United's chief customer officer. He said the airline is committed to providing technology to make travel "more relaxed and enjoyable."

International Rollout

Apple participated in the announcement with enthusiasm. "We think United customers are going to love being able to listen or watch personal music and video content on their iPod or iPhone via the in-flight entertainment system, and we can't wait for United to roll this out to their fleet," said Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPod marketing.

The initial flight of the new iPod-enabled United was Flight No. 936 from Washington to Zurich, which departed Monday at 5:40 p.m. United will roll out the entertainment service on its wide-body international planes over the next two years. The aircraft will also get lie-flat seats and on-demand entertainment. The perks are only available in first-class and business-class seating.

For many fliers, the ability to charge devices may be more important than the screen display. A Macworld reader said, "Even just recharging would be a major improvement. On a recent flight to Prague, my iPod (5G) died with about two and a half hours to go. Having some way to recharge it would have been very much appreciated."

Dissatisfaction High

But while business travelers may appreciate such quality-of-flight improvements, consumer dissatisfaction with airlines casts a pall over announcements like these. "After my experience this past...