Until the 1930s, passenger chairs on an aircraft used to be wicker chairs. This was a time when flying was luxury for a privileged few. The world wasn’t studded with as many aerodromes as it is, and some of the oldest US airports are from this era. Back then, in-flight entertainment system would have been practically unimaginable. It was after the liberalization of air travel that aviation became much more accessible to the general public and in-flight entertainment (IFE) became aviation’s staple.
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Almost every airline keen on improving its in-flight entertainment to attract as many passengers as possible. Some of the longest flights in the world span as long as 20 hours, and spending so much time in the air without any in-flight entertainment would be unimaginable to modern passengers. Here is the list of five airlines with the largest in-flight entertainment screens.
5. Singapore Airlines
Screens in the first class are twice as big as the economy
Singapore Airlines operates the longest one-stop flight in the world. Its Airbus A350-900 travels from Singapore to Houston via Manchester taking a little over 26 hours. One might be tempted to guess that a carrier that operates such a long route might feature in this top 5 list. However, it isn’t the Airbus A350-900 where Singapore’s flag carrier has one of the largest in-flight entertainment screens in the world. It is on the Airbus A380- the largest passenger aircraft in history. [Singapore was also the airline to have launched the flights of the A380 in the commercial world].
In the first class or the Suites class on Singapore Airlines Airbus A380, all the passengers enjoy a large 24-inch HD screen that is mounted on the wall of every private suite. The in-flight entertainment screen-size, however, isn’t the same across all the cabin class:
- Economy Class: 11.1-inches
- Premium Economy Class: 13.3-inches
- Business Class: 18-inches
- First Class: 24-inches
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In the first-class, the screen automatically adjusts to the seat or the bed’s position. You also have multiple control options such as:
- Touch Screen
- Detaching a tablet-style controller
- Using a handheld remote
- Bang and Olufsen (B&O) noise-canceling headphones.
- A full integration, including control of lighting, seat positions, and entertainment, from the screen.
Singapore’s IFE is known as KrisWorld and is the first in-flight entertainment system to offer both video and audio on demand. While one can’t shop online on the IFEs of the A380s, the carrier brims with positivity:
“Singapore Airlines (SIA) will become the first airline to offer live online shopping on board its aircraft from 28 June 2021, when the KrisShop e-commerce platform becomes available via the KrisWorld in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. This service will initially be available on selected Airbus A350 aircraft, and progressively rolled out1 across the SIA network.”
4. Qatar Airways
Offers virtual reality for IFE
Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380s ( the first-class flights that is) are equipped with IFE screens that are two inches bigger than those on Singapore’s counterpart. However, economy passengers on Singapore have it better:
- Economy Class: 10.6-inches
- Business Class: 17-inches
- First Class: 26-inches
Qatar’s IFE comes with as many as 8,500 options for TV, movie series, and audio programs. It also offers on-board Wi-Fi for Privilege Club and Student Club members. A few years ago, Qatar Airlines tempted its passengers with “virtual reality” for in-flight entertainment. Using VR headsets, passengers have access to fresh content – a completely different inflight entertainment experience. Between mid-February to mid-March 2020, Qsuite and business class travelers flying between Doha to Singapore and London had access to VR headsets.
3. Emirates
The screen-sizes on the economy and the premium economy are the same
Image:Shahram Sharifi | Wikimedia Commons
Emirates’ A380 and 777-300ER first-class suites are equipped with a 32-inch full HD LC screen. The screens offer a rich contrast, vivid color reproduction, and sharp details – all of which contribute to an ultra-clear cinematic experience. Here are the IFE screen size across the different cabins:
- Economy Class: 13.3-inch LCD screens
- Premium Economy Class: 13.3-inch LCD screens
- Business Class: 23-inch LCD screens
- First Class: 32-inch LCD screens
Emirates’IFE (dubbed “ice”) offers up to 6,500 different channels of movies, TV shows, music, and games. Ice also features Emirates dedicated playlists for passengers. Ice has 150 channels (across 40 languages) that are dedicated to children’s entertainment. All in all, the movies in Emirates have an aggregate length of than 4000 hours. Ice also comprises 3,000 albums, over 40,000 tracks, and 4,000 hours of music to stream.
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Emirates also introduced closed captioning and subtitling technology in its in-flight entertainment. It generous offer of captions in around 12 languages in its IFEs was Emirates’ efforts to cater to a wider audience, commented Patrick Brannelly, then Vice President, Passenger Communications & Visual Services of Emirates:
“We endeavor to make these offerings accessible to the diverse group of travelers flying with us. Helping develop ‘on-demand’ closed captioning and subtitle technology allows us to offer our passengers more control over their entertainment choices.”
Emirates was also a pioneer in introducing Audio Description for movies (on its IFE system) for customers with visual difficulties. [Audio Description is an optional narration describing happenings on the screen. It includes the description of facial expressions, scene changes, physical actions etc,. ]
2. Asiana Airlines
The industry-leader in 2012
Asiana Airlines, a Skytrax 5-star rated airline and a member of Star Alliance, has an OZ First Suite featuring wall-filling 32-inch display. The second-largest airline from South Korea delivered such large IFE screens on the OZ First Suites, which are found on its select Boeing 777-200ER flights (between Seoul and Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh and Chicago).
When the size of the screens were announced, the aviation community buzzed with excitement. Executive Travlers reported about the record-breaking achievements of the carrier:
” The massive screen takes up just about all of the wall on Asiana’s OZ First Suite (which takes its name from the airline’s two-letter flight code rather than pointing to any Australian connection) and is wider than the fully flat bed that’s the main feature of the first class offering. This supersized display easily bests the previous record-holder: Emirates 27 inch panels in first class on its latest Boeing 777-300ERs… Asiana’s suites now feature doors that close fully for privacy in your own personal movie theatre, and a minibar if you don’t want to bother the crew for a beverage. “
Asiana has a (smaller) touchscreen device that helps you control the 32-inch screen, adjust seats, and set mood lighting within the cabin.
1. All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Ultra premium visuals with polished service
“The suit” on the All Nippon Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER and the acclaimed “The room” in business class (of the same airline) are configured in a 1-2-1 layout. Each of the suites features a sliding door, capacious storage, including a closet, ottoman, and vanity mirror. The major highlight is in the entertainment and screen section – a massive 43-inch 4K touchscreen, the joint largest in the industry.
Here’s a breakdown of the screensize across various classes:
- Economy Class: 10.6-inches
- Premium Economy Class: 10.6-inches
- Business Class: 24-inches
- First Class: 43-inches
Only a few weeks ago, ANA announced that it would expand its in-flight internet service. The carrier began offering complimentary in-flight service for Business Class passengers on international routes in 2024. Japan’s largest carrier also announced:
1. Japan Airlines
43-inch screens on their Airbus A350-1000
Much like all carriers on this list, screen sizes offered in Japan Airlines (JAL)’ in-flight entertainment systems depend on the class and services of the type of aircraft.
| First class | 43-inch 4 K personal monitor |
|---|---|
| Business class | 24-inch 2 K personal monitor |
| Premium economy | 16-inch personal monitor |
| Economy class | 13-inch 4 K personal monitor |
Japan Airlines’ first-class cabin on Airbus A350-1000 provides its passengers a stunning 43-inch 4 K screen – the joint largest with ANA. Japan Airlines partnered with Panasonic Avionics to equip each first-class suite with such a premium personal monitor.
Photo: Altair78 | Wikimedia Commons
The in-seat headrest has its inbuilt speakers, one of the industry’s “headphone-free” systems. The suit is designed by Safran, which includes 3 modes in total which are:
- Sofa
- Single bed
- Double bed
JAL offers in-seat speakers in first class and business class. After the carrier discovered that the noise from the in-seat speakers barely made it past the suites where they were installed, the carrier has deployed it regularly. JAL also offers B&O noise-canceling headphones.