Get to hear some humourous stuff. Like the time in LAX when cross-winds and rain restricted take-offs and the taxi-ways were a mess. One frustrated pilot (not ours) asked if he could take the next right, having taken over an hour after landing to still not be at the terminal. The reply “go ahead if you want to end up nose to nose with [another aircraft] and be stuck there until we can be bothered sorting it out”.

Other times will get useful info like hearing the aircraft used on my onward flight is also running late arriving so may not misconnect after all.

Les - a number of airlines have cameras showing the view from the nose (or tail). I like those too.

I think part of the fear of flying some people have has to do with lack of control - and at least hearing what is going on makes me feel more comfortable. I also find it more entertaining than most of the other audio channels.

Didn’t one airline way back when show the video of the cockpit action during takeoff and landing? I remember seeing something about that.

One time, ascending out of Ontario the plane precipitously loses altitude (on purpose) and everyone on the plane was wondering what happened. On channel 9 we heard that we had a collision warning with another plane in the airspace. I appreciated knowing what happened even though I and the pilots were disturbed (well they were really angry) that we were placed in a situation where the warning was triggered.

I seek out United flights over others of the same price because they offer this service. I wonder how many others feel the way I do. Unlike Rob, the vast majority of my many United flights had channel 9 activated. In the current state of airline mediocrity, it is one amenity that really makes them stand out and presumably doesn’t cost them anything to provide.

Long live channel 9!!!

One of many reasons UAL will not be getting my business anymore.

Curious on why you haven’t been flying UAL lately. Did you venture over to Terminal 3?