United and Northwest are the only US carriers flying the 747. UA has 26 and Northwest has 16 (5 now in Delta colors) in their fleet.

The main reason that PTV's are not on these planes in economy is that the airlines have determined the investment will not bring more revenue. PTV's will require new seats, added weight (using more fuel), and more maintenance in addition to the upfront cost for the technology. UA and NWA figure the average economy passenger searches for the lowest fare and not for a tv. If the economy section averages 88% full without TV's, UA and NWA think there is no reason to add TV's which might only attract a small group of passengers. First and Business class passengers have on demand video entertainment on both airlines because they bring in the most important revenue of the flight and passengers in this class tend to be more picky and don't have to look for the cheapest fare.