Control Tower to United: Your Moving Map Just Got Better

The moving map is already the most watched content on an airplane, and United Airlines now wants to make it even more informative. The carrier, in partnership with FlightPath3D, is adding a “Control Tower” view to the experience, providing detailed information about the aircraft while on the ground.

We know passengers enjoy watching the flight map inflight. In fact, in 2024, on average, travelers spent 60 minutes watching the flight map. Providing even more offerings within the map helps us keep passengers informed and entertained during their flight. – Dominic Green, Director of Inflight Entertainment, United Airlines

Control Tower uses real-time data, fed by a partnership with FlightAware, to show the aircraft’s location on the ground relative to other aircraft, runways, terminal buildings, and airport features. The companies expect this will help reduce anxiety by increasing the available information to passengers. Or just boost the geekery component for those who enjoy that level of detail in their map experience.

“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 of 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.”

United is the launch customer for Control Tower, and claims a one year exclusive on the technology. It has been spotted in the wild over the past few weeks and is rolling out across select aircraft in the carrier’s fleet where embedded IFE screens are available.