Who needs personal televisions or hot meals in first class when you have TikTok?!
In this post:
American Airlines teams up with TikTok
A new partnership has today been announced between American Airlines and TikTok, whereby American Airlines customers can access TikTok for free inflight:
- This is only available on Viasat-equipped aircraft
- Customers are limited to 30 minutes of free TikTok
- This is a “promotional offering,” so presumably isn’t permanent
To access this, customers should enable airplane mode and connect to the “AA-Inflight” signal. Once connected, customers will be redirected to aainflight.com, and there they can simply click on the TikTok ad for free access.
American claims that “only on American” do you get “free access to TikTok.” I think American should check with Northeast alliance partner JetBlue on that, as the carrier offers free Wi-Fi to all passengers, and you can access TikTok there.
As American Airlines’ Managing Director of Premium Customer Experience and Onboard Product describes this:
“Faster Wi-Fi allows us to deliver diverse inflight entertainment options and invest in innovative partnerships with platforms like TikTok. Customers play the lead role in helping us better understand what content they want during their inflight experience and TikTok is one of the platforms they love on the ground, and we’re thrilled to work with Viasat to give customers free access to TikTok while they’re in the air as well.”
The press release then goes on to explain what TikTok is, stating that the platform is “on a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy through short-form videos.”
Is American Airlines trolling us?
I mean, look, I guess 30 minutes of free TikTok is better than not 30 minutes of free TikTok. At least as long as people wear headphones.
But bigger picture, am I the only one who almost feels like we’re being trolled here? United announces that all narrow body mainline planes will get nice new interiors that include personal televisions, while American rips TVs off planes and introduces… 30 minutes of free TikTok on your own device?
And the person who is quoted in this announcement is American’s Managing Director of Premium Customer Experience and Onboard Product (how those two things go in the same sentence at American is beyond me)?And then she says “customers play the lead role in helping [American] better understand what content they want?” And TikTok is what they came up with?
It would all be funny if it weren’t so sad…
Bottom line
American Airlines passengers can now enjoy 30 minutes of free TikTok per flight as a “promotional offer.” This announcement almost makes me want to make a TikTok about the state of American’s inflight product, or something (I promise no dancing, though!).
What do you make of American Airlines’ TikTok announcement?
This is such B.S. No one requested TikTok. Which consulting company suggested this dumb idea?
American Airlines wants to ensure we are all brain dead when we depart the flight!
Headphones need to be mandatory.
Kind of ironic. Tik Tok is a Chinese communist company that has to share their data with the Communist Government. AA is sort of a US flag carrier upholding democratic and freedom values. The Tik Tok crown are brain dead Z ers who will have no skills when they actually grow up.
I have to agree with others about the China connection. It is utterly perverse that an airline called American introduces a product that has proven links to the Chinese Communist Party. A bill banning tiktok got bipartisan support so both sides see the negative aspect. How naive of American to even consider this. It’s potentially a PR nightmare with lots of kickback. Maybe as a sweetener Air China allows Facebook on Air China flights with...
I have to agree with others about the China connection. It is utterly perverse that an airline called American introduces a product that has proven links to the Chinese Communist Party. A bill banning tiktok got bipartisan support so both sides see the negative aspect. How naive of American to even consider this. It’s potentially a PR nightmare with lots of kickback. Maybe as a sweetener Air China allows Facebook on Air China flights with no Great Firewall. What’s good for the goose….
those not getting on Tiktok now because of anti-China sentiment are missing out big time!
Who exactly is AA targeting???? 14 year old girls who flies 1st class???
This is what happens when you have old CEOs who never really understood tech. Haved worked with so many execs where I want to slap myself and them.
What's Tik Tok ? I've heard of it but no clue what it is? Video ?
So that the onboard brawls can be seen by more people faster
It's simple: they hope that some kids get sooo hooked on their free 30 mins that they pony up the $15+ for additional WiFi time.
Jokes on them, as AA WiFi is only good for one thing: getting free AA miles deposited into your account (since the WiFi never seems to work)
Tiktok is awesome but 30 mins of free tiktok for over 5 hours flights? That’s useless.
I rather the unlimited free texting (whats app etc) that other airlines offer.
Cool. I so look forward to people blaring Tik-Tok videos out over their cell phone speakers to the entire plane.
"I guess 30 minutes of free TikTok is better than not 30 minutes of free TikTok"
Not really
Haha, @Jason, undoubtedly the CCP can collect information about you from TikTok, as can the FBI and CIA. Undoubtedly the CCP, the Russians, the FBI, the CIA, and Mossad can collect information about you at will from your use of Facebook, Twitter, Insta, iCloud, iPhone, etc. I don't think for a minute that just because these are American-domiciled companies that they can somehow keep out the intrusions of diligent foreign security services: it's like a...
Haha, @Jason, undoubtedly the CCP can collect information about you from TikTok, as can the FBI and CIA. Undoubtedly the CCP, the Russians, the FBI, the CIA, and Mossad can collect information about you at will from your use of Facebook, Twitter, Insta, iCloud, iPhone, etc. I don't think for a minute that just because these are American-domiciled companies that they can somehow keep out the intrusions of diligent foreign security services: it's like a naked 98-pound unarmed weakling squaring off vs. ten fresh and equipped Roman legions. Post accordingly.
The bigger point is that I think that Tik Tok, and all of this crap, rots the brain and contributes to declining critical thinking skills. The other part is just icing on the cake and yet another data collection mechanism.
I can sure agree with that. You can see the corrosive effects of social media in younger folks' writing and relative patience. Not to bag overmuch on the young 'uns: I can see the corrosive effective of social media in myself. I feel myself getting dumber in the course of using it. I'm old enough to remember the moral panic centered around TV in the 1970s. In retrospect TV was a relatively poor corrupter of...
I can sure agree with that. You can see the corrosive effects of social media in younger folks' writing and relative patience. Not to bag overmuch on the young 'uns: I can see the corrosive effective of social media in myself. I feel myself getting dumber in the course of using it. I'm old enough to remember the moral panic centered around TV in the 1970s. In retrospect TV was a relatively poor corrupter of tender young minds: smartphones and social media hook people and define their behaviors to a far greater extent.
That all said, there are cool things about TikTok and in time perhaps the form will elevate itself just as TV has. I personally find Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, a much more interesting experience, especially since my boys and I are learning Mandarin Chinese. But I recognize that the moment I fire up any social media, I may as well be broadcasting my behavior to all of the world's national security services and innumerable interested businesses. There is no privacy. America's only saving grace is that we have a minimal tissue of law that might (might) afford us some protection and legal recourse. China for all of its great qualities does not even pretend to have the same rule of law as Western democracies do.
If they wanted to make an impact, they should have offered Free WiFi throughout the flight and offered at least tablets for all first class passengers. And compensate for their onboard product by enhancing the FF program. DL's weakest point is their Skymiles program, which is literally a dump. And pay some attention to customer service.
Tik what?? Will never touch it.
Yes, very good.
So now we can record and post all incidents onboard live. Not that this is good for AA at all.
Get ready for lots of negative AA tiktok videos.
13-year-olds across America rejoice
No. Chewing up already limited / precious bandwidth so the gen i brat next to me can stream their next dance challenge is a horrible idea. Just put the TVs back in please.
Unless it's a bad "wow," which I don't think it is because you state that 30-minutes of free tiktok is better than no tiktok (it's not), "Wow" has never been less needed in one of your headlines than this announcement.
I don’t use and never will use tik tok. It rots the brain and allows China to collect personal info. No
spot-on
Why does it rot your brain?
China protect user data way more than american companies.
You clearly work for the CCP propaganda department for sure. Oh they love complete censorship, banning Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media.
thats like saying restaurants should pay "protection money" because the mob protects way more than american police.
maybe you're just a russian/chinese bot here to stir it up.
I don’t know…following on the heels of hundreds of flights cancelled, thousands of passengers stranded…we get a Wow…AA offers free Tiktok. Priorities.
Is American Airlines compromising passengers data by engaging into this financial deal with the CCP controlled Tik Tok? No thanks!
This is what we have come to?
30 free minutes of China gathering all of your data. What a deal!