While more flyers tote along their own iPads, Kindles, and smartphones with each passing year, plenty of passengers rely on the airline for entertainment. With innovative seatback screens and nearly endless programming options, airlines seek to differentiate themselves from the competition (at least when it comes to what you're watching mid-flight).
According to the 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards, these 10 airlines have the best in-flight entertainment. No U.S. airlines make this list; instead, the amenities-rich Middle Eastern and Asian airlines dominate. Scroll down to find out who comes out on top.
10. Air France
By the numbers: Air France offers the usual wide assortment of movies, television shows, kids' programming, and games, with rotating film selections each month.
Special features: Passengers traveling on Air France's A380s can download content at no extra charge on their devices, including audio guides, subway maps, additional games, and playlists.
9. Thai Airways
By the numbers: Thai Airways offers seatback screens with movies, television shows, and a particularly rich library with hundreds of music albums.
Special features: The airline's newly refurbished economy seats were a long time coming (and make your in-flight entertainment that much more comfortable).
8. Virgin Atlantic
By the numbers: More than 50 films and dozens of television shows (including new releases and premium-channel offerings like Game of Thrones and House of Cards).
Special features: In addition to the usual programming, Virgin offers seatback seat-to-seat chat.
7. Cathay Pacific
By the numbers: The StudioCX system has U.S. and Asian movies, TV, music, playlists, and publications available on its seatback screens.
Special features: Download the mobile-app version of Cathay Pacific's Discovery magazine for well-curated travel, lifestyle, food, and adventure articles.
6. Turkish Airlines
By the numbers: Dozens of blockbuster and Turkish films, documentaries, television shows, games, and radio channels.
Special features: Turkish Airlines includes fun audiobooks in the mix, from Pablo Neruda's Love Poems to Grimm's fairy tales for kids.
5. Etihad Airways
By the numbers: E-Box, the in-flight entertainment system, includes 100-some movies, 300 popular TV shows, seven live news channels, 16 radio channels, 60 games, and a music library.
Special features: On some flights, passengers can watch live sporting events, from Wimbledon matches to golf finals.
4. Qantas
By the numbers: Qantas has one of the widest selections of entertainment options out there, and their A-380s include a whopping 1500 entertainment options, including 100 movies.
Special features: Before they fly, Qantas passengers can nab PressReader's mobile reading platform and enjoy 12 free hours of newspaper and magazine downloads.
3. Singapore Airlines
By the numbers: Newly redesigned economy seats come with Singapore Airline's KrisWorld entertainment system: innovative seatback screens, 80 U.S. and international movies, and plenty of music.
Special features: Singapore is the first airline to offer 3D games on its eX2 gaming system (you can even play against fellow passengers).
2. Qatar Airways
By the numbers: Some 2,000 (yes, 2,000!) entertainment options are on offer, including recently released movies, TV box sets, audio recordings, and games.
Special features: Beginning summer 2015, Qatar is featuring the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe of 11 superhero flicks.
1. Emirates
By the numbers: Emirates' widescreen Ice digital system includes movies, U.S. and international TV shows, music, live news and sports, and games, and all channels are on demand and in multiple languages.
Special features: Emirates has been voted the best in entertainment for 10 years running, and their product just keeps getting better.
This article originally appeared on Hopper.com, the home of the mobile app that tells you when to fly and buy by making smart airfare predictions.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.