JetBlue Airways and Amazon.com agree to stream media in-flight

People wait in line at the JetBlue counter at La Guardia airport in New York

(Reuters) - JetBlue Airways Corp and Amazon.com Inc have agreed to stream television, movies and music from the Internet retailer in-flight, broadening travelers' entertainment options, the companies said Tuesday.

The service will be available on a majority of JetBlue's aircraft this year via the airline's free Wifi, so passengers can use their laptops and mobile devices.

Travelers can rent or buy titles from Amazon, or stream content at no extra cost if they are Amazon Prime members. The companies did not disclose the commercial terms of the agreement.

"This is the most comprehensive offering of entertainment content for any airline anywhere in the world," said Henry Harteveldt, a founder of the travel-focused Atmosphere Research Group. He said most competitors don't have Wifi fast enough to support video-streaming and instead rely on fixed media libraries.

The companies appear to be forging a "very close" relationship, he said, and Amazon might pay JetBlue to help keep the airline's Wifi free so that passengers can buy from the retailer.