Yesterday, a friend of mine found herself stuck on a runway for 5 hours because of poor weather conditions. If she had been a first class passenger, and had been the owner of an iPhone, and had been living two days in the future… she would have been able to hook up her Apple device to a dock connector right in armrest of those plush (and oh-so-expensive) leather seats.

The first iPhone-compatible flight left Washington D.C. for Zurich yesterday, and United promised that all of their international planes would be upgraded within the next two years. Unfortunately, this connectivity won’t be available where it is most needed- in coach. If you are flying first or business, however, you’ll be able to control your iPhone or iPod through your armrest, and watch movies on the existing personal entertainment system- a 15-inch LCD screen.

Although Greg Joswiak, an Apple VP, had lots to say about the system’s capabilities, he didn’t mention whether or not United planned on expanding iPhone support further down the aisle:

“The iPod and iPhone have become essential for millions of travelers around the world. We think United customers are going to love being able to listen or watch personal music and video content on their iPod or iPhone via the in-flight entertainment system, and we can’t wait for United to roll this out to their fleet.”