Earlier this week United and Spotify announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration that delivers an even more entertaining travel experience in the sky. The partnership will bring audio and video podcasts, audiobooks, and more to the carrier’s 130,000+ seatback screens.
United Becomes the First Airline to Bring all Forms of Spotify Content Onboard
As part of its partnership with Spotify, United becomes the first airline to offer all forms of the streaming platform’s content onboard. Passengers on more than 680 United aircraft with IFE screens will find “Spotify” as a new content category on the home screen. This replaces the “Audio” option.
This will be the first time we’ve seen audiobooks and video podcasts offered onboard an airline. More than 65 pieces of content from popular podcasts like Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Dave Chang Show, and The Comment Section with Drew Afualo are available among others.
Also, starting next year, United passengers will be able to use their personal devices to log into the Spotify app on the inflight entertainment screen. According to the airline, this will allow passengers to enjoy their favorite personalized content on the seatback so they can pick-up their favorite podcasts, music, and audiobooks from right where they left off.
Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus, had this to say about the partnership with Spotify:
“Spotify has a huge audience and people love their content. And now our customers can enjoy it all in a simple and easy way, at 35,000 feet. Together, we’re giving millions of customers an entirely new way to experience and explore premium content from the world’s most popular artists, authors and podcasters –all while flying with the latest technology in the sky.”
Ian Geller, Vice President of Business Development at Spotify, added:
“As a frequent United flyer myself, it’s incredibly exciting to see Spotify now available on the world’s largest airline. At Spotify, we’re dedicated to being everywhere our users are, giving creators opportunities to reach new platforms and engage different audiences. I’m especially looking forward to bringing an even more personalized app streaming experience to seatbacks next year.”
On Starlink-equipped aircraft, travelers can stream Spotify content on their personal devices from gate-to-gate without interruption by logging into their MileagePlus accounts and accepting the terms and conditions for using Starlink.
United announced last year that it would be installing free Starlink wi-fi fleetwide, including regional jets. The first Starlink equipped aircraft went into service in March 2025.
As a Spotify customer and someone who appreciates seatback IFE, this is a fantastic update. I can’t wait for the ability to stream content gate to gate the next time I fly on a Starlink equipped aircraft and look forward to trying out the new entertainment options onboard.
Summary
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, United Airlines and Spotify are bring audiobooks, video podcasts, and more to the seatback IFE screens on more than 680 aircraft. Beginning next year, customers will be able to login to their Spotify accounts via the IFE screen to stream their personalized content.
