If you’re a regular flyer, you understand how crucial it is to have something to pass the time. In the past, individuals boarding long-haul flights made sure to have enough reading material. However, contemporary planes now include plenty of entertainment options, including films, ambient nature scenes, and music.
So, if you’re deciding which airline to fly with next, consider the airlines with the best in-flight entertainment according to social media users. Continue reading to discover which airline can keep you entertained at all times.
1. Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific has also won honors for its entertainment. Cathay was named one of the Airlines with the best in-flight Entertainment at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in 2023, and the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) awarded it the 2024 Best in Entertainment Award for Greater China this year.
According to TikTok user and travel expert Charlotte (@charlottefromchicago), the airline has earned its spot at the top of these lists.
“This week, I flew on their A350 from JFK to Hong Kong, which is almost exactly 16 hours long—AKA, a lot of time to use in-flight entertainment,” Charlotte explains in a TikTok post from March 28. “I was impressed by the wide library of alternatives and the various categories into which they are organized. There was a separate section for female directors as well as one for Christopher Nolan, which piqued my interest.
Cathay also provides live sports entertainment as well as a diverse film selection through collaborations with Max and Disney+, according to Charlotte. Furthermore, she points out that the airline provides a particularly distinctive sort of entertainment.
“If you still aren’t convinced, the A350 is equipped with cameras above and in front of the plane, providing endless hours of watching the world go by,” Charlotte says.
2. Emirates
Emirates is well-known for its services, including in-flight entertainment. This year, the airline was recognized as the global winner of Best Inflight Entertainment at AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 Airline Excellence Awards.
Emirates boasts the greatest entertainment library of any airline, with 6,500 channels of video. This contains more than 2,000 movies, hundreds of entire TV series, over 200 documentaries, a music library with over 3,500 albums and playlists, and five live TV channels, including sports and news.
Emirates also has you covered in case you forget your AirPods at home. The airline supplies headphones to passengers in all cabin classes, including special headphones designed for children’s comfort.
3. Air France
According to Kristin Lee, travel expert and creator of the travel blog Global Travel Escapades, Air France is at the top of the list because it stands apart from other airlines.
“As the official partner of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Air France stands out as one of the best airlines with exceptional in-flight entertainment,” Lee tells the magazine.
Lee refers to the long-haul cabins, which include high-definition TVs and more than 1,500 hours of on-demand entertainment. This includes around 350 films, many of which are French productions and Cannes Film Festival winners.
According to Air France’s website, the airline’s newest cabins also include anti-glare 4K quality screens that are Bluetooth enabled, allowing you to use your headphones while in the air.
“Even if you’re flying economy, you can have a premium in-flight entertainment experience!” Lee says.
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4. Air Canada
Air Canada is another top performer in the in-flight entertainment category.
The airline won the 2024 APEX Best in Entertainment Award in North America for offering thousands of hours of movies, television series, and podcasts. Air Canada offers connections with Apple TV+, Audible, Disney+, and Hayu—and Apple Fitness+ allows users to “take a mid-flight meditation break.”
Passengers, like Cathay Pacific, have a bird’s-eye view of their surroundings thanks to cameras mounted on the tail and belly of the new Airbus A321 aircraft.
5. Turkish Airlines
APEX recognized Turkish Airlines for the second year in a row, awarding it the 2024 APEX Best in Entertainment Award for Europe.
According to the airline’s website, passengers can utilize the Planet inflight entertainment system to watch current and classic movies, listen to music, watch special children’s programming, and connect to the Internet.
Jamie Davis Smith, writing for Business Insider in March, especially mentions the size of the planes’ entertainment screens.
“On a lengthy flight, I like nothing better than spacing out and watching movies. Smith writes, “I was thrilled when I discovered that my flight had larger-than-average seat-back screens.” She describes her experience on a 16-hour Turkish Airlines journey from Morocco to the United States.
While she spent the most of her time watching movies and television, she also played video games with her children and took use of free headphones.
“Flight attendants even distributed real headphones, which was another nice touch,” she recalls. “They were far from expert quality, but they were a nice upgrade from the flimsy earbuds most airlines distribute.”
6. Delta Air Lines
Delta is yet another airline that offers competitive in-flight entertainment options. Samantha Oppenheimer, a travel blogger and photographer for Find Love and Travel, and Megan Spurrell, senior editor of Condé Nast Traveler, both praise the movie choices. In a 2023 article, Spurrell cited Delta’s entertainment as the reason she is a “Delta loyalist.”
“Does anyone else realize how wonderful Delta’s in-flight entertainment system is these days? The videos available are, in my opinion, among the best you’ll discover 35,000 feet in the air,” Spurrell adds.
She contacted a Delta airline agent to inquire about the selections and was told that there is a team “devoted to curating the content customers see on Delta’s more than 150K seatback screens.” They rely on Hollywood studios, streaming platforms, and production companies to discover fresh and “lesser-known movies.”
“We believe customers should always have something new to discover when they fly on Delta, and that means sharing movies, series, and music options onboard they may not have found any other way,” the spokesperson for Delta told Spurrell.
7. Singapore Airlines
Even in economy class, Singapore Airlines provides an excellent entertainment experience. According to TikToker Theresa A. (@reseaseo), a lifestyle blogger who frequently publishes travel footage, you can tilt the screen on the seatback to your desired angle, and headphones will be given if needed.
“[The airline offers] tons of movies—even newly released ones, and even those in different languages, plus different TV shows and even music,” She says in a TikTok post from June 2022.
According to Singapore Airlines’ website, the entertainment options have improved in recent years, as you can now access web-based gaming and an e-library with the most recent issues of magazines and newspapers via the Singapore Air mobile app.
