United Airlines Partners with Spotify for Enhanced In-Flight Entertainment

United Airlines is expanding its in-flight entertainment catalog by introducing audiobooks and video podcasts, thanks to a new partnership with Spotify. The partnership with Spotify provides passengers with free access to over 450 hours of curated playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts, featuring popular titles such as Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Dave Chang Show, and The Comment Section with Drew Afualo.

This new content is currently available across more than 130,000 seat-based entertainment screens on United flights. Spotify has stated that this marks the first instance of audiobooks and video podcasts being offered onboard an airline, with the collaboration allowing passengers to access Spotify content without the need to create an account for the streaming service.

“Spotify has a huge audience and people love their content,” said MileagePlus CEO Richard Nunn in the announcement. “And now our customers can enjoy it all in a simple and easy way, at 35,000 feet.”

United Airlines is also working on a feature that will enable passengers to sign into their own Spotify accounts on the in-flight entertainment screen using their personal devices. This feature is expected to be available in 2026 and will allow users to continue from where they left off on playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts. Additionally, it will enable passengers to enjoy video content on a larger screen without the need for a tablet or laptop.

Passengers on United’s Starlink-equipped planes can already browse and stream Spotify on their own devices, alongside other services such as YouTube and Apple Music. The upgraded in-flight Wi-Fi was introduced in March can be accessed for free by logging into a MileagePlus loyalty program account, with streaming supported from gate to gate.