American Airlines, the first airline in the world to use DVD inflight video players on regularly scheduled flights, today announced a major expansion of the feature. American is adding DVDs to first class service on a wider range of flights between the United States and both Europe and South America, and to first class on eight U.S. cross-country routes. All of the DVD players come with new Bose Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headsets, which were another American Airlines service innovation.

Since introducing inflight DVD last September, American has been offering the high-technology systems in first class on six MD11 aircraft serving three European routes and two routes to and from South America. Effective today, American is expanding DVDs to the first class cabins of Boeing 767-ER airplanes that fly international routes as well as nonstop U.S. transcontinental flights. As a result, American will offer DVDs, with their improvement in picture sharpness and sound quality, to first class passengers in a total of 28 markets — eight in the United States, nine in South America, and 11 in Europe. The eight U.S. routes where American is offering DVDs in first class on 767-ERs are Boston-Los Angeles, Boston-San Francisco, Washington Dulles-Los Angeles, New York Kennedy-Los Angeles, JFK-San Diego, JFK-San Francisco, Miami-Los Angeles and Miami-Seattle.

The 767-ER European markets for DVDs are London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Stockholm, Birmingham (U.K.), Brussels, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Madrid, Manchester (U.K.), Milan, Zurich and Frankfurt. To South America, American is offering DVDs in first class on these routes: Dallas/Fort Worth-Santiago, DFW-Lima, JFK-Carcacas, JFK-Buenos Aires, JFK-Sao Paulo, JFK-Rio de Janeiro, Miami-Rio
de Janeiro, Miami-Sao Paulo and Miami-Santiago. On its MD11 flights, American has already been offering DVDs between DFW and London Gatwick, DFW and Frankfurt, DFW and Sao Paulo, Miami and London Heathrow, and Miami and Buenos Aires.

On July 1, American will expand DVD service yet again by offering it in the business class cabins of international 767-ER airplanes. The DVD players and Bose headsets are presented to first class customers at their seats with a movie library containing up to 20 DVD discs of popular movies. Titles include comedies, action adventures and dramas in a package American calls the “`Inflight Theater.” The Bose noise-cancelling headsets were developed in association with American by Bose Corp. They dramatically reduce engine and wind noise in the cabin and are so comfortable they can be worn for an entire flight.