How to watch the Super Bowl during a flight

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and you want to watch the big game, but as luck would have it, you’re 30,000 feet up in the air. Luckily, technology is a wonderful thing, and now plenty of airlines offer free live television. Here’s what you need to do to watch the Super Bowl on an airplane.

A man reclines in an airplane seat with his hands folded behind his head as he watches a small screen. He's got a blanket pulled up to the middle of his chest and is next to the window. — Just because you're on a plane doesn't mean you can't catch the big game © Gaudi Lab / Shutterstock

When is the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LIV takes place on Sunday, February 2, 2020; the 11th contest held in the South Florida region. The date also happens to be Groundhog Day. Game time is still TBD, but typically kickoff is around 6:30 pm (EST).

What channel is it on?

Super Bowl LIV airs on Fox.

Which airlines will show the game?

Besides canned movies, television, games and music, several airlines now offer free live television in an effort to up the ante of desirability, which means you can watch the Super Bowl in realtime.

With more than 100 live channels, United provides the game free of charge via DirectTV as standard on select Boeing 737 aircraft. When checking your flight status, enter your flight number to see if your flight offers DIRECTV. Just look for the logo on the inflight amenities tab.

American will be offering the game on their free live TV, connecting via WiFi on their aainflight.com and streaming on your personal device. Don’t forget to download the app before takeoff!

With televisions in every seat – the only major U.S. airline to offer this perk – JetBlue will stream via DirectTV at no charge.

Delta’s offers the Delta Studio package, which can get you 12 channels of live streaming on select flights for free, including Fox. Delta Studio works on both seatback screens and personal devices.

Diehard Super Bowl fans should contact the airline when booking and before flying to ensure everything is in place before boarding time.

What do I do if live TV isn’t an option?

If all else fails, and if you have a television package that covers it, you can try your chances with in-flight WiFi, as Fox.com will be streaming the game live. If the Puppy Bowl is more your thing, the same goes for AnimalPlanet.com. And the same goes for the Kitten Bowl on HallmarkChannel.com. But don’t get your hopes up: if you’ve ever used in-flight WiFi, you know it can be spotty.

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