Android Tablets Come to First-Class Fliers

Samsung's 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab tablet runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb and has a 1280 x 800 resolution display. Photo: Charlie Sorrel

Attention all frequent flyers: Got the cash for first class? Those of you who do will soon get much more than a little extra legroom and some free drinks.

On Monday, Samsung and American Airlines announced they will provide Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab 10.1 to travelers in seated in premium cabins for a select number of transcontinental and international flights.

“American is the first North American airline to offer a branded tablet on board its aircraft,? says Virasb Vahidi, American Airline?s chief commercial officer in a release.

Current on-board entertainment devices will get the boot for 6,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices on select flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco, as well as between Boston and Los Angeles. International flights to South America and Europe will also receive the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices. The tablets will begin replacing the current in-flight entertainment system later this year.

If you haven’t traveled in a while, a number of airlines include touchscreen seat-back displays from which you can purchase film or TV offerings or even inflight games.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thinner and lighter than the iPad 2, measuring 8.6mm thick and weighing in at 595 grams. The original 7-inch Galaxy Tab debuted in November and sold over one million in units in its first two months.

American Airlines seems to be leading the way in embracing the tablet revolution. The airlines already offers in-flight movie streams to iPad users via Wi-Fi. But it’s not alone: earlier this year Alaska Airlines adopted the iPad for inflight manuals.

Hopefully other airlines will begin catching on to the trend. There’s only so many times I can see Country Strong on cross-country flights.