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American Airlines adds Android in the sky

First-class passengers on American Airlines will be able to use the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as an entertainment device on select flights.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German
An American Airlines Boeing 767 American Airlines

American Airlines gave Android a sky-high boost earlier this month when it started offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as an entertainment device for first-class passengers.

American will deploy 6,000 Galaxy Tabs on Boeing 767 flights between New York's JFK airport and Los Angeles, JFK and San Francisco, and Miami and Los Angeles. Passengers also will find the device on 767 aircraft serving South America and Boeing 757 aircraft flying between Boston and Los Angeles.

Besides replacing American's current entertainment system, the Wi-Fi-enabled tablets also will offer passengers Internet access during flights for an additional fee.

Tablet devices are slowly creeping onto commercial flights in various forms. Qantas subsidiary Jetstar has tested using iPads as entertainment devices and Alaska Airlines recently began replacing paper flight manuals with iPads after a test period.