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vast selection of movies, TV programs, cartoons, news programs, music channels and even video games.
In fact, the history of in-flight entertainment goes back some way. The first in-the-air movie was shown in 1921 – and in 1932, the first TV program was shown. It wasn’t until the 1960s that in-flight entertainment became standard on many flights. Today, it’s unthinkable to fly between continents without having access to multiple channels of video and audio programming.
Today’s in-flight entertainment systems are a sophisticated blend of audiovisual and electronics technology – a blend that can cost between $2 million and $5 million to retrofit to an existing aircraft. But, in a highly competitive industry, no airline dare not offer in-flight entertainment – and, in fact, it has become a significant point of differentiation (given that flight times and, despite the airlines’ protestations, food quality, are still broadly similar from one carrier to another).
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 If you’ve been a regular transatlantic traveler over the past twenty years, you’ll have noticed a significant change. No, the flight from Los Angeles to London is no faster. And no, the quality of the food hasn’t improved either. But what has changed has been the in-flight entertainment. It may still take eleven hours to get from LA to London – but at least the time seems to pass more quickly.
Gone is the dim, scarcely discernible movie – not that its dimness mattered, as the screen was invariably mostly hidden by the head of the tall guy in front of you. And it probably wasn’t a movie you wanted to see anyway. Now, each passenger has an individual screen with a
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