Inflight entertainment (IFE) technology has advanced massively over the years, becoming a necessary amenity as passenger expectations have increased. Indeed, the Red Dot Design Award has honoured airline IFE systems in recent years, highlighting their software and usability, while SkyTrax annually recognises the best choice and quality of inflight entertainment with its Best Inflight Entertainment award as part of its World Airline Awards - an award won by Emirates for the past 17 years. There are now a multitude of options for IFE, but what the best option actually is for an airline depends on a variety of factors - including whether the airline is a low-cost carrier or long-haul legacy operator, aircraft type, route length, storage capacity requirements and hardware costs. One alternative to offering passengers independent seatback screens is the overhead or drop-down screen. While a throw-back to the past, the decision by Airbus to make such systems a line-fit option on the single-aisle A220, means they continue to endure. In this instance a 4.3-inch fixed screen is located at every passenger row, offering content such as safety videos, moving maps, destination videos, advertising and connecting gate information.
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