When traveling by air, there are lots of things that can contribute to a great travel experience. One of those things is inflight entertainment, since it’s otherwise easy to get bored when flying. In this post I thought it would be fun to take a look at the airlines that offer the best inflight entertainment.
In this post:
What makes for good inflight entertainment
Airlines have come a long way on the inflight entertainment and connectivity front. So when it comes to good inflight entertainment, I’d like to think that it’s important to consider seat back and streaming entertainment, as well as inflight Wi-Fi connectivity.
What makes good for seat back or streaming entertainment?
- There’s the general availability of seat back entertainment; on what percentage of the fleet does the airline offer seat back entertainment?
- What’s the quality of entertainment like? How many movies and shows are there, how easy is the system to use, are the monitors high definition, and are there any other cool features?
- Is there streaming entertainment? I tend to think this is less important if you have seat back entertainment, and that it’s more important if an airline lacks that
What makes for good inflight Wi-Fi?
- Obviously it’s nice to have high-speed Wi-Fi that’s actually usable for things like surfing the web and streaming
- However, there’s also something to be said for an airline offering free Wi-Fi and/or messaging; after all, that’s going to have the widest appeal, so it’s not just for those who are looking to work
The airlines with the best inflight entertainment
With the above out of the way, I figured I’d share what I consider to be the world’s five best airlines for inflight entertainment. Essentially when you factor in both seat back entertainment and Wi-Fi, which airlines have the overall best offerings?
I’m not going to rank these airlines, because I think which is best depends on what you value most. Instead I’ll share why I consider each of these airlines to be among the best for inflight connectivity.
With that out of the way, here are my top five picks, in no particular order…
Emirates Airline
Emirates has seat back entertainment on every single plane in its fleet, featuring the ICE inflight entertainment system (which stands for Information, Communication, Entertainment). In my opinion, ICE is hands down the best inflight entertainment system in the sky, in terms of ease of use, quality of programming, and variety.
Emirates offers 6,500 different programs, with everything from the latest movies, to complete seasons of TV shows, to live TV, to podcasts, to a tail camera (on its A380s). I’ve never been bored on an Emirates flight.
While Emirates does an amazing job with seat back entertainment, Emirates’ Wi-Fi is less impressive. The airline uses OnAir for a vast majority of its fleet, which has low speeds. On the plus side, it’s at least reasonably priced, and many passengers even receive free Wi-Fi. On top of that, all Skywards members receive free inflight messaging.
With Emirates’ new A350s, the airline is also offering high-speed Wi-Fi for the first time, though that’s only a small percentage of the carrier’s fleet as of now.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is probably the most well-rounded global airline when it comes to inflight entertainment, based on the current state of its fleet.
When it comes to seat back entertainment, the airline offers seat back televisions throughout its fleet, with the exception of a small number of 737-800s inherited from SilkAir. Singapore Airlines has the KrisWorld entertainment system, which offers nearly 2,000 on-demand movies and TV shows, as well as live TV. I love how Singapore Airlines also has complete seasons of dozens of TV shows, which makes it easy to binge watch.
I’d say this is the second best inflight entertainment, only slightly behind Emirates’ ICE system. The area where Singapore Airlines really excels, though, is with its inflight Wi-Fi. The airline offers unlimited free Wi-Fi to all passengers who are KrisFlyer members, and to first and business class passengers even if they’re not part of the loyalty program.
Singapore Airlines is the only major global airline to offer free Wi-Fi to all passengers without any major limitations.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways offers seat back entertainment in a vast majority of its fleet, in the form of its Oryx One entertainment system. After ICE, Oryx One is probably the biggest entertainment selection you’ll find on any airline, with thousands of movies, TV, shows music albums, and more.
When it comes to Wi-Fi, Qatar Airways has historically offered “Super Wi-Fi,” where you can pay $10 per flight for Wi-Fi without speeds. However, the airline is now rolling out free Starlink Wi-Fi, which should be available on all 777s and A350s by the end of 2025.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is the OG when it comes to inflight entertainment, plain and simple. For one, the airline has seat back entertainment on every aircraft in its fleet. This entertainment system has a selection of movies, plus DIRECTV, SiriusXM, Peacock programming, and more.
Frankly the screens on many JetBlue aircraft are a bit low quality at this point, and I don’t find the system as such to be cutting edge. But still, you can’t beat such consistency.
The area where JetBlue really shines, though, is in offering high-speed, no strings attached, free Wi-Fi. The airline partners with Viasat, and offers free Wi-Fi on all aircraft. You can connect as many devices as you want, and you don’t even have to be a member of JetBlue’s loyalty program. What’s wild is that JetBlue has now been offering unlimited free Wi-Fi for over a decade, so the airline has been in a league of its own.
Delta Air Lines
Delta is by far the best of the “big three” US carriers when it comes to inflight entertainment. The airline offers seat back entertainment on most of its mainline fleet (with the exception of Boeing 717s), and that comes in the form of the Delta Studio system.
Delta Studio offers over 1,000 hours of inflight entertainment, with a library of movies and TV shows, as well as live TV, a map feature, and more.
Another area where Delta really excels is with inflight Wi-Fi, as the airline offers free Wi-Fi to all SkyMiles members on most mainline, narrow body aircraft. The catch is that as of now this isn’t available on select aircraft, especially those flying internationally. By the end of 2025, it’s expected that free Wi-Fi will be expanded to virtually all aircraft, which is an exciting development.
Air Canada
Air Canada doesn’t get much recognition for this, but I think the airline is highly underrated when it comes to its inflight entertainment. For one, the airline has seat back entertainment on an incredible number of jets — the airline even has seat back entertainment on many of its regional jets.
Air Canada also has a massive entertainment selection, with over 2,500 hours of entertainment, including everything from movies, to TV shows, to live TV. Heck, the airline is even retrofitting its narrow body jets with new entertainment systems that include tail cameras, which I love.
When it comes to inflight Wi-Fi, Air Canada offers free messaging on all flights to Aeroplan members, which is a nice feature, and a good way for most people to stay connected to loved one. Furthermore, starting in May 2025, the airline will offer unlimited free Wi-Fi for all Aeroplan members, which is exciting.
Bottom line
As technology continues to improve, many airlines are investing in inflight entertainment, but in different ways. Some airlines are investing in seat back entertainment, others are investing in streaming entertainment, others are investing in Wi-Fi, and some are investing in all of them.
Some airlines definitely stand out as being better than most, so the above are my top picks, as they’re all airlines on which I’m never bored.
What are your favorite airlines when it comes to inflight entertainment, and why?
I choose Air New Zealand and Qantas
Reason why is because their inflight entertainment screen is nice and responsive when you touch.
As I was reading the post without seeing the comments I was wondering why CX studio has not been included. Seems like a few avid readers also thought the same :)
Amongst those never having a need for wifi for work, I'm really OK with the litimited wifi that let's you connect to the carriers website (plus stream content when no screens are present). Since you can do this for free even with paid wifi, it's no real issue for me. DL is good for entertainment. I really liked the Bluetooth on the upgraded UA narrowbody I flew recently. The AA interface was not as good...
Amongst those never having a need for wifi for work, I'm really OK with the litimited wifi that let's you connect to the carriers website (plus stream content when no screens are present). Since you can do this for free even with paid wifi, it's no real issue for me. DL is good for entertainment. I really liked the Bluetooth on the upgraded UA narrowbody I flew recently. The AA interface was not as good as the others. Having flown all big3 in J plus AF over oceans, it really isn't a big deal. I know this because I used Aerolopa to confirm some screen sizes. I remember some larger and some smaller than they are.
One of the things I really dislike about Emirates' ICE system is how highly censored everything is. Yeah they have a huge amount of content, but its all very mainstream.
Meanwhile I watched an entire season of Looking on Air Canada, completely uncensored. Rimming and all. Fantastic.
I wonder in general across all benefits that airlines provide which benefits would be your most important and why you would choose an airline or pay more for it. In flight entertainment is not something I would choose an airline for
That’s more than absolutely surprised that CX is not on the list, probably China is out of the screening process? Otherwise there’s something happening here, like CX is not longer servicing entertainment or in service anymore.
Emirates might have a lot of product on ICE, but they also censor movies and television shows if there's even a hint of sex/nudity. I therefore can't watch many movies on Emirates (and other Gulf carriers) because of that.
Qantas should be mentioned as they have a good selection of films (uncensored) and even American has lots of good movies (but we won't mention the service or the food)!
I'll just add, for those who don't even bother to install individual seatback screens, I would at least appreciate the map being shown whether on a flip down monitor or a monitor mounted on a bulkhead.
QR has an incredible selection but one thing that drove me absolutely nuts was that their movies were not in alphabetical order. I just had two flights with them and couldn't find a way to sort them. It makes having a huge selection cumbersome.
Never understood why so many people go gagga over a tail camera. It's slightly interesting during a descent, but people watch the thing for hours at 35000 feet and all you see is some clouds and endless views of the fuselage & wings.
It certainly helps with turbulence knowing the a/c is still intact and if you get stuck in a middle seat.
It is very interesting while on the ground and on approach
and there is something calming about watching the world at cruise altitude
Does the faster A350 calm you more Tim?
You don't have to be actively staring at the monitor the whole flight. But for someone like myself who never watches movies on TV and just listens to music/podcasts/audiobooks, it's a fun thing to have playing in the background.
Also you do *sometimes* see interesting things at cruising altitude. I'll usually have my tablet open to FlightRadar and look up for nearby planes (especially if I'm stuck in the middle and don't have a window).
I think another key point is that the international airlines also feature movies and tv shows of their own country in its own language/ dubbing for voice and subtitles to showcase their own country's talent in an entertainment world that is very-US based.
I disagree about DL and I know we all have our opinions but their tech is old, screens often are dirty and don't work and I am completely wireless so having cheap wired headphone offers poor sound quality. I much prefer AA's set up on it's A321/737. Device holder, power close by, using my own or AA's content or live TV and able to utilize my noise canceling wireless earbuds. I know it works, I...
I disagree about DL and I know we all have our opinions but their tech is old, screens often are dirty and don't work and I am completely wireless so having cheap wired headphone offers poor sound quality. I much prefer AA's set up on it's A321/737. Device holder, power close by, using my own or AA's content or live TV and able to utilize my noise canceling wireless earbuds. I know it works, I know it's clean and I get access to a great library of programing.
Yes, one time DL was the king of the hill, but times change and DL tech is out of date and out of my favor.
I don't have an iPad so for me having a seat back TV is often a decider when it comes to which airline I choose on a long flight. Having said that I can't see why airlines can't have seat back TVs and stream to devices. I just flew on a Delta A350 and the seat back TV is economy was enormous.
if you actually did a modicum of observation, a high percentage of passengers on airlines like B6 and DL that have AVOD even on domestic short flights use the seatback AVOD even if also using their personal devices.
And since AVOD almost always includes at least a USB connection for power, AVOD is a means to charge your personal device because there is power needed for the seatback system.
B6 and DL also stream...
if you actually did a modicum of observation, a high percentage of passengers on airlines like B6 and DL that have AVOD even on domestic short flights use the seatback AVOD even if also using their personal devices.
And since AVOD almost always includes at least a USB connection for power, AVOD is a means to charge your personal device because there is power needed for the seatback system.
B6 and DL also stream content that it may not be identical to what is on AVOD.
It is all about choice and the fact that United has chosen to follow DL says volumes.
Where do you fly DL usually? Out of NY most of the IFE's are newer, with large high resolution screens and tech. It's been a huge part of why I choose them over the other options. Especially their new A321's, it's really fantastic on those. All of my recent B6 flights on the other hand, I've had screens that must be from 2010.
The comments below hit it on the nail when it comes to StudioCX and KrisWorld. Confused why airlines like SQ would choose free, fast Wi-Fi but no tail camera? Tail cameras seem to be (as far as I can tell) quite cheap and simple — no digital rights management and dubbing or connecting to satellites needed, the camera is right on the plane!
Also have noticed EK’s ICE has been very buggy lately. On recent segments have noticed lots of core features simply not working
I've always wondered why some airlines (even the ones within the same group such as AF has it while KL does not) don't offer the camera. Whether it comes down to added cost or what. And while the cameras are nice on ACs A321s, why don't they offer them on their widebodies?
(JAL was known for their camera; most if not all of their widebody a/c had them back in the day. I enjoyed booking flights with them just for that alone!)
Back a few decades ago Virgin Atlantic was famous for its world class entertainment system. Wonder how it's like now.
Agree with all the comments below that CX’s IFE system is one of the very best and most professional-looking I’ve ever experienced, both the light-mode IFE on the A321neo and some A350s, and the dark-mode IFE on other A350s. Whatever Cathay Pacific has lost in its service in recent years, it more than makes up with its spectacular IFE, including the awesome tail camera. And the more Western an airline, the better for its IFE...
Agree with all the comments below that CX’s IFE system is one of the very best and most professional-looking I’ve ever experienced, both the light-mode IFE on the A321neo and some A350s, and the dark-mode IFE on other A350s. Whatever Cathay Pacific has lost in its service in recent years, it more than makes up with its spectacular IFE, including the awesome tail camera. And the more Western an airline, the better for its IFE — and that includes CX’s Oneworld partners Qantas and Finnair, which have two of the most super-slick interfaces.
In contrast, while EK is unparallelled in terms of selection and I love its touchscreen handset, its UI is frozen in 2011 with all sorts of glossy effects and looks pretty outdated.
As much as Northeast Asian airlines (Japanese and Taiwanese ones in particular) have absolutely brilliant J and F products nowadays, almost all of them have very subpar IFE selections, and that’s because they aren’t very westernised airlines. At JAL — even with the A350-1000’s 4K IFE on the 43” screen — there is a very clear sense that this is *not* an airline that’s very proficient in English, and that it can’t communicate freely and informally the way a Western airline like United or KLM can. Which is all the more reason to commend CX for its entertainment selection, and how it has a dedicated section for Disney+ and other specials.
Don't change your name after you spend 3 paragraphs complaining.
Just "visualise yourself flying Qsuites or Air France or JAL or something of that kind! ;)"
TK is absolutely fantastic, both in terms of content and tech.
Content wise, CX has one of the best worldwide!...Their monitors, however, have really poor quality...
The pre-A350 seats on the A330s and 773s date back to late '00s-early '10s. And the screens in Economy are slow and not even full HD. The A350 seats in all classes and Economy seats on the 77W are pretty decent. Good thing that the A330s will be getting new seats. I'm looking forward to watch what seats they choose and how they configure them.
You clearly have not flown Singapore Airlines in a long time as they have massively cut their inflight entertainment options in the last couple of years. The content is also much older.
It is also worth noting that because their seats are now so old, the resolution of their screens is much worse than what you’ll find on the tier 1 airlines.
I’m not a fan of the cheap Montserrat font that KrisWorld uses, and it’s just so out-of-place for an airline as luxurious as SQ. CX is so much better and professional in terms of its IFE UI design, and the same goes for many Oneworld airlines like AY, QF and QR (but not JAL, not at all). Some other airlines whose IFE interfaces I love include Air France, Etihad and even Air India’s new A350...
I’m not a fan of the cheap Montserrat font that KrisWorld uses, and it’s just so out-of-place for an airline as luxurious as SQ. CX is so much better and professional in terms of its IFE UI design, and the same goes for many Oneworld airlines like AY, QF and QR (but not JAL, not at all). Some other airlines whose IFE interfaces I love include Air France, Etihad and even Air India’s new A350 IFE.
Moreover, SQ’s interface can suffer from a lot of glare on daytime flights, and the resolution on even new A350s, as you said, is much worse than, say, the CX A321neo. That said, I’ll always be grateful that SQ, being my ‘hometown’ carrier, has free Wi-Fi on all flights… but no tail camera!
"visualise yourself flying Qsuites or Air France or JAL or something of that kind! ;)"
Have you ever fantasised about flying anything but coach dreamer?
Thought not.
@AeroB13a
Did you fail 3rd grade English?
@Proximanova
You keep b*tch over the tiniest thing possible.
Why not use your own wisdom of visualising?
Is that exclusive for Copa?
I'm surprised CX is not on your list as their StudioCX IFE is one of the best out there. They even upgraded their cameras on their 777s with Aria Suites to HD!