United – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – has become the first airline to add ‘Control Tower’ mode to its onboard flight map, giving passengers a detailed view of their aircraft positioning while on the ground – in addition to the already-popular flight path view they can watch while in the air.
By showing aircraft location on the ground, both pre-flight and after landing, Control Tower mode boosts traveller awareness of flight status and increases engagement with United’s inflight entertainment. For nervous flyers, this information can also greatly reduce anxiety around what’s happening on the ground during taxi.
“We know passengers enjoy watching the flight map inflight,” said Dominic Green, Director of Inflight Entertainment, United Airlines. “In fact, in 2024, on average, travellers spent 60 minutes watching the flight map. Providing even more offerings within the map helps us keep passengers informed and entertained during their flight.”
Created by FlightPath3D in collaboration with Flight Aware, Control Tower mode is currently being onboarded to select United aircraft outfitted with seatback screens.
“The launch of Control Tower is another step in delivering on our mission to guide every passenger through a seamless, transparent travel experience from start to finish,” said Duncan Jackson, President, FlightPath3D. “The moving map is one of the most popular elements of the IFE experience. Now passengers can tap into this dynamic entertainment application from the moment they take their seats. FlightPath3D’s end-to-end journey management and commitment to data-driven solutions are reshaping the future of air travel, and we are delighted to kick it all off with the rollout of the new product on select United Airlines flights.”
Matt Davis, President, FlightAware, added: “Partnering with FlightPath3D allows us to integrate our real-time data in ways that fundamentally enhance the inflight experience. This is just the beginning of unlocking exciting new possibilities for both our companies.”
