With technology constantly improving, the race to provide the best in-flight entertainment is one of the most tightly contested in the airline industry.
But the airline with the best all-round entertainment offerings has been revealed, courtesy of the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, which took place recently in an upmarket London hotel.
The “Oscars of the airline industry” awarded Dubai-based airline Emirates the much-coveted title of airline with the world’s best in-flight entertainment.
Since Emirates launched their bespoke in-flight entertainment system, Ice, in 2003 the carrier has consistency topped the list for best entertainment at the World Airline Awards.
“It’s an honour to be recognised by Skytrax for our commitment to innovation and service excellence,” said Emirates Divisional Vice President and Customer Experience boss Patrick Brannelly.
“We always work hard to stay creative, relevant, and continue to build content that appeals to our multi-national and multi-cultural passengers. The fact that these awards are based on the direct feedback from passengers is gratifying and wonderful recognition for all of the hard work that’s gone into creating the Emirates experience.”
The ceremony say: “Best In-flight Entertainment is a coveted quality distinction and a very competitive aspect of today’s air travel experience.”
“From the choice and currency of movies, TV programmes, music and games through to the availability and functionality of onboard wifi, this award recognises those airlines that seek to deliver a fantastic experience to their passengers.”
Top 10 airlines for in-flight entertainment 2018
1 Emirates
2 Singapore Airlines
3 Qatar Airways
4 Qantas
5 Turkish Airlines
6 Delta Air Lines
7 Virgin Atlantic
8 Cathay Pacific Airways
9 Etihad Airways
10 Lufthansa
Emirates in-flight entertainment
This year marked the 14th occasion Emirates have won best in-flight entertainment at Skytrax in the 18 years since the ceremony’s inception.
Emirates boast over 3,500 channels for entertainment, including over 100 children’s channels with an incredibly broad spectrum of films, television shows and music programmes.
Back in 1992, Emirates were the first airline to commit to installing individual television screens for every seated passenger in all classes.
They have since kept abreast of entertainment trends and currently offer 850 movies on board to suit all cultures and tastes.
New innovations
New innovations include the possibility to watch live TV on a number of the fleet, and internet capability on nearly every plane.
20MB of free data is given to everyone flying, regardless of the cost of their seat.
Emirates also made it to number 4 on the overall list of the world’s best airlines.
They were number 11 in the world for best cabin crew, number 1 for best airline staff in the Middle East and number 1 for best first class comfort amenities.
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