Amazon Prime Video takes to the skies via JetBlue

NEW YORK—Amazon is teaming up with JetBlue to stream its Prime Video service in the air.

For passengers on most JetBlue flights, Amazon Prime members can stream tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes from Amazon Prime Video, including such original Amazon series as Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle, at no additional cost. Passengers who aren't Prime members will be able to buy or rent content that they can watch at 35,000 feet.

Prime members on the plane will also have access to more than one million songs via Prime Music. Passengers won't have to rush to download that extra movie or episode before taking off.

While some airlines store content locally on the aircraft and stream it to passengers at their seats, JetBlue is using its so-called Fly-Fi satellite broadband technology to stream off the Internet. That lets passengers access Amazon's full catalog of titles, not just a more limited selection. And they can watch on their own phones, laptops and tablets, as well as on seatback televisions.

The Fly-Fi service is free for all passengers, delivering what JetBlue says are speeds of 12 to 20 Mbps to a device. Some bandwidth intense activities (file transfers, audio/video downloads) carry a fee, but Amazon's streaming entertainment falls under the free plan.

The Amazon-JetBlue partnership will be available on all JetBlue's Fly-Fi equipped Airbus A321 and A320 aircraft this year, and on JetBlue's Embraer E190 aircraft in 2016.

This is the first time Amazon has partnered with an airline. "Working with JetBlue to provide high-speed Internet access that can support instant streaming, at no cost, is a great advantage to travelers," says Amazon vice president of digital video, Michael Paull.

Airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of the Atmosphere Research Group in San Francisco calls this a win-win for both Amazon and JetBlue. He says there is strong overlap between the two companies, with 81% of JetBlue customers surveyed by Atmosphere earlier this year having made at least one purchase on Amazon during the prior 12 months. Only the overlap with Apple's iTunes store (86%) is stronger.

While most passengers choose flights and carriers based on price, route preferences, whether they're members of an airliner's frequent flier programs and such, Harteveldt calls in-flight entertainment a "tie-breaker amenity" that could "tip the hat in JetBlue's favor."

JetBlue has a reputation for having young tech-savvy customers," Harteveldt says. Indeed, back in February, the airline announced a partnership with Apple that enables passengers on select flights to purchase food, drinks and certain onboard amenities using Apple Pay on their iPhones or Apple Watch.

Paull wouldn't reveal whether Amazon's arrangement with JetBlue is exclusive to the carrier for a set period or whether it can offer a similar service to another airline. . "What I can say is that Amazon is always looking for new ways that Prime members and customers can access our great library of movies and TV shows whenever and wherever they are—that includes inflight. We're thrilled JetBlue is the first airline we're working with for an inflight streaming video entertainment experience."

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter