Inflight Entertainment (IFE): Definition, Types and Evolution

A key feature to a full service airline is its IFE. But what is it, how does it work and how has it evolved over time? Here’s everything you need to know about this system.

What Does Inflight Entertainment (IFE) Mean?

IFE or Inflight Entertainment is the system that provides you with content, information and, at times, also connectivity. The system can be offered to passengers using hardware present on the back of the seat in front or streamed to the user’s device. We’ll look at how these differ shortly.

What Is Included in an IFE System?

An IFE system includes the hardware that allows you to watch the content and the content itself. Airlines have different agreements with production houses and distributors and, depending on how much they are willing to spend, they will have more or less available content to customers.

Recently more airlines have been signing agreements with content production companies such as:

• Disney+
• Apple TV
• HBO

Seatback IFE vs Wireless IFE: What’s the Difference?

So, I’ve touched on this in this post, and now it’s time to dive deeper into it. IFE content can be provided to users in two different ways:

• Seatback IFE
• Wireless IFE

The way these two methods differ is the seatback IFE has hardware present at each aircraft seat, in the form of a screen. The screen is the interface to navigate the content.

Alternatively, when airlines choose to provide wireless IFE there is no screen or airline provided hardware. What happens is, the aircraft is fitted with a Wi-Fi system that will then provide each user access to the IFE from their own devices.

The latter option is a cheaper solution, in the long run, for the airline. Simply because there is less physical hardware that can break and necessitate maintenance and repair. It also comes with a lower upfront cost not having to pay for all the screens necessary.

Why IFE Is Important for the Passenger Experience

The entertainment system has become an integral part of the passenger experience. Something we all have come to expect when flying a full service airline. Particularly in economy class where there is less to do, dining is less of an experience. There the IFE system can make or break the passenger experience depending, of course, on what the expectations were for the airline in question.

How IFE Systems Have Evolved Over Time

IFEs have evolved massively over the past decades. It wasn’t all that long ago that common screens were present at the cabin bulkheads in economy class. This was the common setup in economy class for most carriers until the late ’90s. You didn’t get to choose what to watch, there was a pre-programmed list of movies and series and you could only choose to plug in your headphones and listen or not. Needless to say this wasn’t very child friendly. I remember traveling as a 4 year old and later and not being able to see the common screen over the seat in front of me.

In the 2000s personal IFE screens became common place and widespread. Airlines started fitting planes with seatback screens allowing to chose from a wider assortment of content. This was a massive leap forward in terms of passenger experience.

Recently with more aircraft being fitted with Wi-Fi systems wireless entertainment systems have started to appear, particularly on narrow body planes where greater operational flexibility is needed.