Spotify has landed a major airline partnership, securing placement across United’s more than 680 aircraft fleet.

The deal gives Spotify access to over 130,000 seatback entertainment screens, allowing the company to showcase its video and audio podcasts, audiobooks, and playlists for free to millions of travelers annually.

In 2024, United carried 173.6 million passengers, up 5.3% from a year earlier. According to Airways magazine, United is the largest airline in the world based on available seat miles, which represent an airline’s total passenger-carrying capacity.

Following the Spotify integration, Spotify will appear as a new content option in in-flight screens of more than 680 United aircraft, replacing “audio” under the home menu. Over the coming months, most of United’s fleet will receive a dedicated Spotify featured channel where all Spotify content — songs, podcasts, video podcasts, audiobooks and playlists — will be housed together.

United explains that from 2026, passengers will be able to log into the Spotify app on the in-flight entertainment screen of using their personal devices, allowing them to enjoy personalized content on Starlink-equipped aircraft.

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

Richard Nunn, MileagePlus

The Chicago-headquartered airline said the partnership marks the first time that Spotify will be offering audiobooks and video podcasts onboard an airline.

United will promote Spotify Premium subscriptions to its MileagePlus loyalty members, offering up to 1,000 bonus miles for new sign-ups.

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

“Together, we’re giving millions of customers an entirely new way to experience and explore premium content from the world’s most popular artists, authors and podcasters –all while flying with the latest technology in the sky.”

“At Spotify, we’re dedicated to being everywhere our users are, giving creators opportunities to reach new platforms and engage different audiences.”

Ian Geller, Spotify

Ian Geller, VP of Business Development at Spotify, said: “As a frequent United flyer myself, it’s incredibly exciting to see Spotify now available on the world’s largest airline.”

“At Spotify, we’re dedicated to being everywhere our users are, giving creators opportunities to reach new platforms and engage different audiences. I’m especially looking forward to bringing an even more personalized app streaming experience to seatbacks next year.”

The deal comes as the Swedish streaming giant pushes into new distribution channels beyond traditional mobile and desktop platforms.

The United deal isn’t Spotify’s first partnership with an airline company. In November 2024, the streaming platform partnered with UAE-headquartered Emirates, providing passengers with over 140 episodes of podcasts and curated versions of Spotify’s most popular playlists.

Music Business Worldwide