American’s new 737 MAX won't have seatback screens

I don't really care about seatback screens.

WestJet has internet onboard its 737's. You have your own device and you use your device as needed.

Strictly cost cutting. Few realize that an airliner's IFE system as a whole, is the most expensive of it's "components" with the exception of it's engines.

I don't see it as a problem. As long as everything is working and there is ample content. For example, Delta using GoGo as a connection point to Delta Studio. It's hit or miss whether the connection will work. Sometimes I'll spend 10-15 minutes just trying to connect to GoGo, or my iPad will connect but my wife's Samsung tablet has issues. Or surprise, we have a NEW app you have to stream from, or there's an update you didn't know about. As far as the content goes, Delta Studio seems to only offer about a dozen or so movies, about the same episodes of TV shows, and that's about it. In contrast, their oldest seatback displays have two to three times the content, and the new Panasonic displays have even more. If there is seatback entertainment on a short flight I might watch it but I often use the flight tracker. On flights that are barely long enough to watch a movie, if I can't get the GoGo to work in the first five minutes or so, I give up because by the time we're on approach, it will cut out and I'll still have 20+ minutes of the movie left. So instead, I'll try to read a book or relax. I think more than anything, that's what I like about the in-seat entertainment: once the safety video is over, it boots up, and you can watch all the way up to touchdown. They also have a nice library of music, and some (sort of clunky) games that keep kids entertained.

The seat back screens add weight. Everyone has a device that connect to the internet. Let them use that if they want inflight entertainment. The screens are going to disappear just like the ones in a minivan. The world has moved on.

Passes American Airlines a can opener..you will need it to remove the sardines after each trip.

Spirit and Frontier are successful exactly because people want the lowest fare possible regardless. They grumble and complain but in the end fly ULCCs anyways because they can fly LAX-FLL for example many times for $90 one way. You and I may not choose to pay the lowest fare and get this, but there are lots of people who want the flying Greyhound experience so long as it's cheap.

No frills, shorter seat pitch, narrower seats, lower baggage allowance = less of a chance that I will ever get on one of their airplanes.
And at some point in the future when enough pax say enough is enough they'll have to go back and spend large amounts of $$$$ to refit the entire cabin.
What these bean counter forget (as company profits soar) is that they provide a service, when that service falls below a certain point in customer satisfaction they lose customers and the way they're going that point is fast approaching.