If you’ve taken a flight just about anywhere in the last 30 years, you have probably noticed that the in-flight entertainment has not really changed much. There has been a steady march of technological advancement, but it has rarely made its way to the airlines in time to beat the next advancement. This has the effect of many airplanes having in-flight entertainment that would be considered acceptable, but nothing amazing. With some airlines moving to a much more customizable online video platform, however, this may start to change rapidly.
How It Began
It all started back in the few years that immediately followed World War II when the rise in flights catering to commuters and consumers began getting overhauls in nearly every area. The technology that was created and employed for the machines of war was now making its debut in the public space, which meant a long line of improvements for conventional aircraft.
Airlines and their aircraft were getting a number of improvements to their designs, speed, capacity, and safety. Most in-flight entertainment meant the availability of food or drink during the flight and didn’t resemble anything we would currently consider to be entertainment. This was a bit of a departure from the pianos, bars, and social lounges that were common on the large trans-Atlantic airships.
Modern In-Flight Entertainment
Things eventually progressed to the point of having a movie on the flight, though it was generally not anything that could be considered new, and there was often only one choice. In the 80s the first use of LCD screens began, even though they were exceedingly tiny. In many flights of the time, there was a small collection of video cassette tapes that were available for viewing by passengers. This would eventually progress to the types and formats that are more readily available and used today.
New Innovations
Now that LCD technology has been more widely adopted and has become more or less the standard for portable media devices, many airlines have undergone refitting of many of the headrests in their aircraft to house touchscreen devices. In-flight entertainment has become so integral that many airlines have ramped up efforts to make their devices more appealing and more accessible to those flying their airlines.
Singapore Airlines, for example, has created their own specific companion app that lets passengers create playlists of favorite content, as well as connect to the airline’s own entertainment content services. Emirates Airlines also has a companion app that lets passengers stream their media both on the plane and even in the boarding area.
Looking To The Future
Some airlines are even incorporating VR equipment into their entertainment systems, allowing passengers to experience content curated by destination. Iberia Airlines is offering this new VR experience on select flights currently. Those passengers flying Iberia and having a cabin will have the VR headset available to them by default so that they can enjoy a staggering variety of video content, gaming, and travel guides in an immersive virtual digital environment.
When this increasingly accessible media and video equipment becomes more standard across airlines, it will only lead to consumers becoming hungrier for more. The advancements in video streaming services will also make these more high-tech appliances like VR headsets and passenger touchscreen panels a basic feature required for people to want to fly on a particular airline.
It may even come to a point where various airlines may be competing for rights to the newest streaming service, or for the newest immersive tech so that their potential customers would be more inclined to fly with them.