Mobile streaming could be the future of your in-flight entertainment

Some of the world’s largest carriers have ditched seatback screens and are instead offering passengers free content that can be streamed on board using their own personal devices.Seatback screens and the preloaded content they provide go a long way toward keeping passengers happy and distracted. The longer the flight, the more essential in-flight entertainment becomes. Indeed a 2016 airline passengers survey found that watching movies was the top activity for passengers on long-haul flights with 77% saying it was their favourite way to pass the time.But those little screens, simple as they look, cost a lot of money. According to industry experts, typical in-flight entertainment systems cost up to $3 million per airplane or $1000 per every inch of screen. Rather than investing in screens, some airlines are offering onboard streaming services for passengers that can be accessed on their personal devices. Etihad is the latest airline to embrace the trend, following similar moves from American Airlines and United in 2017. The UAE-based carrier is upgrading and refurbishing 23 of its narrow-body Airbus A320 and A321, which will include a new wireless streaming entertainment app.