Front-of-Plane Toys on American

American Airlines is introducing small portable entertainment devices to first- and business-class flyers on some domestic transconintental as well as international routes. The airline says these are the first personal devices with new movies and news programming updated daily. Each unit has a seven-inch, touch-screen monitor. Each one is loaded with a dozen movies, some prior to their release on DVD.

This isn't American's first venture into personal entertainment It has been offering domestic first-class passengers on transcontinental flights a DVD player with 20 DVDs. Business-class passengers have had to watch on overhead projection screens, like those of us in the back of the plane.

Meanwhile, passengers on Frontier planes have less diversion -- unless they are willing to pay for it. The airline has halted its free Wild Blue Yonder seat-back inflight channel. Now, it's $5 for DirecTV or $8 for movies -- or, you can just bring a book.