In flight entertainment options

1. IFE Screens.....although I've heard they add weight, it must still be cost effective as airlines like B6, DL and AC seem to be quite committed to this option on their newest narrowbody deliveries

2. Streaming to device via app.....on the other hand, AA, UA, AS, CM are the opposite and removing IFE from all new narrowbody deliveries. This is not referring to paid wi-fi but free inflight streaming on an app.

3. Nothing at all..... In Europe, I think most airlines have neither IFE nor free-app streaming on their narrowbodies? As well regional flights in developing nations.

4. Overhead TV screens.....are these still in use?

5. Live TV instead of pre-loaded movies......this used to be a thing in the day. Do any airlines still have this?


Questions for you guys

If you had to make a breakdown....what % of airlines worldwide do you think have IFE screens vs those that don't? On narrowbody, my guess is a majority of narrowbody don't have it. On widebody, my guess is the vast majority do except for long-haul low-cost (eg: Air Asia X)

Second, if you had to predict 10 years down the line, which way do you think will be the way of the future?

My personal preference is IFE as I've found there are more options and allows me to use my phone/tablet for other things like reading, but curious about you guys

1) Regarding the weight issue, newer IFE backseat technology is meant to be lighter, and removes that annoying box that protruded on legspace. Think DL's IFE on the A220's which are also easily upgradable as technology improves.

2) TBH not a big fan of streaming. I understand why the U.S. airlines have gone this route (AA, UA, WN, AS, DL Connection fleet), but this would require airlines having tip-top WiFi connections without interruptions, and the technology hasn't caught up to that level yet. This also assumes the consumer will use only one device, and nowadays most people (GenX/Millenials and younger) use two or more devices (think using an IPad and watching TV in the living room at the same time).

3) Nothing to comment on this one.

4) DL will use the flip-down screens (737-900/A321) or a flatscreen on the bulkhead (757s) to display the safety message for bulkhead/exit rows that keep the IFE in the armrest instead of the seatback.

5) Moreso B6 that started the whole LiveTV trend, but even after 20+ years of introducing this technology, there's still trouble for when flights go overwater, which is why B6 introduced movie purchases for when they started their Caribbean push back in the early 2000s.

alan3 wrote:

In flight entertainment options

Questions for you guys

If you had to make a breakdown....what % of airlines worldwide do you think have IFE screens vs those that don't? On narrowbody, my guess is a majority of narrowbody don't have it. On widebody, my guess is the vast majority do except for long-haul low-cost (eg: Air Asia X)

Second, if you had to predict 10 years down the line, which way do you think will be the way of the future?

My personal preference is IFE as I've found there are more options and allows me to use my phone/tablet for other things like reading, but curious about you guys

I don't know if DL is still operating 757s without seatback IFE, but they will likely (if not already done so) be the first mainline narrowbody + widebody carrier to have all seatback IFE.

4) All US3 carriers have overhead screens in the form of wall-mounted supplemental monitors on their wide body aircraft. AA also has ceiling mounted TV-monitors on their 77Ws in J/F. In addition to all safety-related announcements, AA keeps the monitors on throughout the flight by displaying the Airshow...don't know if DL/UA do this. AA's A321T fleet also has drop-down LCD monitors in F/J but I don't think they are used for anything but the safety video and AA's video public-address announcements.

I'm not exactly sure but I think at this point no US carrier still shows movies via an overhead monitor. I think AA's remaining 738s with an overhead video system have either been retired or had the system removed at this point.

IFE was never really commonplace on narrow body aircraft operated by European carriers. Carriers that did have an overhead video system usually only used the system for the safety video and for the Airshow.

5) Some DL aircraft still have live-TV channels. I think the system is no longer being added to new aircraft however existing aircraft will keep it. Some AA 787s/777s had a few live TV channels (BBC, CNN, etc) but the system has been deactivated due to Covid. Several UA 737s still have DirecTV.

DL offers #1, #2 and #5 depending on the aircraft type

Just want to clear things up. WiFi and the internet are two different things that people often confuse with. To be able to browse websites, watch streaming videos on YouTube or Netflix, using social media apps like Facebook and Twitter, etc. we need an internet connection. To be able to access the internet we need the media like WiFi, 4G/5G cellular signal, or ethernet cable. We can have internet connection without WiFi and we can also have WiFi without internet connection. Aircraft can have WiFi installed but only provide streaming contents to the passengers but no internet connection.

alan3 wrote:

4. Overhead TV screens.....are these still in use?

I saw them still in use on Air New Zealand domestic flights just before the virus struck. They ran a quiz show.

alan3 wrote:

5. Live TV instead of pre-loaded movies......this used to be a thing in the day. Do any airlines still have this?

United I believe? I haven't flown them for a while, but it was a weird thing.

alan3 wrote:

Second, if you had to predict 10 years down the line, which way do you think will be the way of the future?

My prediction is Asia will get more and more IFE systems. Europe will continue down the decrepit lane of austerity, although Air France is at least introducing method 2. Africa and the ME will follow the Asian setup more closely. I don't know enough about the US to say anything there.

alan3 wrote:

My personal preference is IFE as I've found there are more options and allows me to use my phone/tablet for other things like reading, but curious about you guys

IFE all the way here. It's the only user-friendly setup.

Overhead screens are too far away and don't allow passengers to choose what to watch.
LiveTV is just weird.
Streaming to device requires that you have enough power on your device, that you have downloaded the app beforehand, that the system works, that your device can even run the app etc.

My own observation is that IFEs take the focus of the passengers. There is less annoyance and irritation at being crammed into a tiny seat when you focus on the TV in front of you. Unfortunately the incompetent beancounter-club that has taken control of most western airlines don't realize this.

In Australia, narrow bodies are exclusively streaming to device. Wide bodies are IFE plus streaming to device, as they switch between short haul and long haul.

On short sectors I’m fine with streaming to device, although I do enjoy B6 when in the US, with IFE plus free internet

I think conventional IFE will have a place long into the future despite the increasing feasibility of device streaming (and even wifi streaming further down the line). The uptake in usage by passengers if it's right there in front of them vs needing to download/open an app on their device is quite stark in my own experience. With lighter and less space-consuming units now available it seems to make sense.

That said, I can see airlines opting for neither on aircraft that will be mostly limited to sub-3 hour sectors - think European short-haul, Asian domestic/regional etc. In places like the Americas and AU/NZ where an aircraft may regularly fly shorter and longer flights, the investment in a form of IFE becomes more worth it.

alan3 wrote:

5. Live TV instead of pre-loaded movies......this used to be a thing in the day. Do any airlines still have this?

It's more often live TV in addition to movies (and canned TV episodes). DirecTV is one way; IPTV to IFE as satellite wifi systems have more bandwidth is another.

ultimately IFE will disappear. not that people will want it to go but airlines will show everybody by A+B that this is for the good of the customers.... at the beginning, we will all bitch about it but eventually we won't have much choice that to fall in line.... We do it because that's what the customer wants....

blandy62 wrote:

ultimately IFE will disappear. not that people will want it to go but airlines will show everybody by A+B that this is for the good of the customers.... at the beginning, we will all bitch about it but eventually we won't have much choice that to fall in line.... We do it because that's what the customer wants....

I don't agree. Asia has shown us otherwise. Low cost carriers have a place, but full service carriers with extensive IFE options are also thriving. Eventually you will also get a blow-back in Europe and the US, because a market for better exists and everybody is in a futile chase to the bottom. New FSCs and hybrid startups will appear to fill the vacuum.

Then you have long haul low-cost. Norwegian demonstrated that IFE screens are the best way to serve a continuous stream of food, snacks and beverages across 2 aisles. FlyDubai for that matter has also showcased a smarter way to combine low-cost with full-service in one aircraft, and the entertainment is part of the difference.

I envision a future where airlines will offer "free minutes" on our existing Netflix/Prime accounts and we will use these to watch where we left off.

Much less effort than building your own app and negotiating contracts for your own content.

I just hope they retain the moving map somewhere, somehow!

Spiderguy252 wrote:

I envision a future where airlines will offer "free minutes" on our existing Netflix/Prime accounts and we will use these to watch where we left off.

Much less effort than building your own app and negotiating contracts for your own content.

I just hope they retain the moving map somewhere, somehow!

Netflix and Amazon Prime content varies from country to country. A bit difficult to watch where we left off after we land in India and the film we were watching is not available.

VSMUT wrote:

Spiderguy252 wrote:

I envision a future where airlines will offer "free minutes" on our existing Netflix/Prime accounts and we will use these to watch where we left off.

Much less effort than building your own app and negotiating contracts for your own content.

I just hope they retain the moving map somewhere, somehow!

Netflix and Amazon Prime content varies from country to country. A bit difficult to watch where we left off after we land in India and the film we were watching is not available.

Those are the nitty gritties, but my point stands.

VSMUT wrote:

blandy62 wrote:

ultimately IFE will disappear. not that people will want it to go but airlines will show everybody by A+B that this is for the good of the customers.... at the beginning, we will all bitch about it but eventually we won't have much choice that to fall in line.... We do it because that's what the customer wants....

I don't agree. Asia has shown us otherwise. Low cost carriers have a place, but full service carriers with extensive IFE options are also thriving. Eventually you will also get a blow-back in Europe and the US, because a market for better exists and everybody is in a futile chase to the bottom. New FSCs and hybrid startups will appear to fill the vacuum.

Then you have long haul low-cost. Norwegian demonstrated that IFE screens are the best way to serve a continuous stream of food, snacks and beverages across 2 aisles. FlyDubai for that matter has also showcased a smarter way to combine low-cost with full-service in one aircraft, and the entertainment is part of the difference.

Interesting point. I wonder if having the BOB via IFE on short-haul (0-2 hour flight range) is plausible? I wonder if having that set up would case people to buy more or less (while enabling things to operate much faster during a flight)?

At the same time anyone know wether customer feedback makes the cost of maintenance, keeping it up to date and installing IFE plausible for the likes of an LCC (I suppose as an example synonymous with the likes of Jetblue and Azul)? I'm picturing something like this for the Euro market.

lesfalls wrote:

At the same time anyone know wether customer feedback makes the cost of maintenance, keeping it up to date and installing IFE plausible for the likes of an LCC (I suppose as an example synonymous with the likes of Jetblue and Azul)? I'm picturing something like this for the Euro market.

I'm pretty sure the cost of maintenance for the latest seatback IFE screens is negligible. They are pretty much just tablets.

For a LCC, it allows the cabin crew to focus on directly serving the customers who really do want to pay for stuff. No waiting 20 minutes as they serve coffee and take payments before they reach row number 20 who wants a full meal.

We also need to remember that certain systems now bridge traditional aircraft based IFE with personal IFE. For example, IIRC, the Thales Avant system that B6 is installing on the Phase 2 A320 restyle aircraft and new deliveries, you can stream to the seat back screen and use your phone/tablet as a remote as well. This allows for the customer to not have their device on a tray table in front of them or being held. It really is amazing how much IFE has evolved over the years! I remember having a pneumatic sound system on the L-1011 flights I took as a kid!

phatfarmlines wrote:

I don't know if DL is still operating 757s without seatback IFE, but they will likely (if not already done so) be the first mainline narrowbody + widebody carrier to have all seatback IFE.

Perhaps the first U.S.-based carrier to achieve this, but AC has had PTVs on all mainline aircraft for a number of years, as well as on larger AC Express aircraft (E175 and CRJ-900). In contrast, AC Rouge configured aircraft have streaming to device.

I personally am in favor of streaming to my device. The seatback screen is always at a weird angle from my line of sight and I have trouble focusing on it. Streaming to my phone or tablet, I can hold it where I can see it, and it becomes more immersive and takes me away from my middle seat. With seatback IFE, as soon as glare hits the seatback screen or the passenger in front of me reclines, the immersion is lost and I'm back in 33B.

I'm in the seatback IFE camp. Although I do appreciate streaming IFE if offered, used it a lot when I flew aboard SilkAir's A320s which only had overhead drop-downs. However, I don't like streaming IFE since some airlines require me to download an app just to play videos (which is a hassle IMO).

Philippine747 wrote:

I'm in the seatback IFE camp. Although I do appreciate streaming IFE if offered, used it a lot when I flew aboard SilkAir's A320s which only had overhead drop-downs. However, I don't like streaming IFE since some airlines require me to download an app just to play videos (which is a hassle IMO).

This. Getting the app is a major pain in the rear, since it always requires you to download it before the flight. Unless you are a frequent flyer on the airline, you most likely won't find out about it until you are already on the aircraft when it is too late.