Wireless IFE vs seatback IFE: How airlines balance screen time
October 25, 2025
As passengers bring more personal devices onboard, airlines are rethinking in-flight entertainment investments — balancing the weight, cost, and branding benefits of embedded screens against the flexibility of wireless systems.
The ubiquity of smartphones is reshaping this dynamic. Around 5.78 billion people own a smartphone—70.1% of the world’s population—according to Demandsage, while Statista finds tablet ownership is roughly half as common.
For airlines, that means almost every passenger boards with a capable entertainment device in hand — an argument in favour of wireless in-flight entertainment (W-IFE) systems that stream to personal devices.
IFE vs. W-IFE: A balance of cost, weight, and sustainability
According to Valour Consultancy, which specialises in tracking in-flight entertainment and connectivity, there are almost 10,000 commercial aircraft equipped with W-IFE systems, and just over 7,000 aircraft that are equipped with embedded IFE systems.
Valour predicts that the push for airlines to digitalise onboard services will drive W-IFE growth, exceeding 17,000 equipped aircraft by the end of 2033.
Wireless IFE installations are lighter and faster to deploy than seat-embedded IFE systems, requiring only servers, antennas, and wireless access points. Weight reduction can save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions, particularly for short-haul fleets.
Valour Consultancy analyst David Whelan tells AGN: “In terms of sustainability, the short answer would be ‘yes’ [to W-IFE]. This, combined with the cost of embedded systems, as well as the associated cost of the extra weight from the systems, will certainly be a consideration for many airlines deciding how to equip their narrowbody aircraft. On widebodies, though, embedded IFE is still considered essential by most airlines.”
Embedded systems still dominate wide-body in-flight entertainment
Valour expects the embedded IFE installations to exceed 10,000 by 2033, primarily driven by new wide-body deliveries.
As the consultancy reported last year, “In 2023, 90% of the global wide-body fleet featured seatback IFE, with an attach rate of 93% on new deliveries. Despite this strong demand, the market remains firmly dominated by three main manufacturers, led by Panasonic Avionics.
Attempts to disrupt this oligopoly, such as AERQ – a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and LG Electronics – have been unsuccessful. AERQ’s recent closure, despite securing a launch customer in Discover Airlines, highlights the high barriers to entry in a market where established players maintain a commanding lead.”
Embedded seatback systems are capital-intensive, but new 4K screens and low-power processors have made them lighter, more efficient and relatively more sustainable. For network carriers focused on premium branding, seatback IFE still defines the cabin experience.
A number of airlines are connecting their seatback IFE systems to WiFi, enabling a broad range of live content. Many are adding Bluetooth connectivity to seatback screens, allowing passengers to use their own headphones. This can reduce costs and support sustainability by avoiding the extra weight of carrying airline-supplied headphones.
The passenger experience divide
There is a difference between the two systems in the passenger experience. Seatback IFE delivers simplicity and accessibility: no battery anxiety, no connectivity issues, and guaranteed availability. It also unlocks first-run studio content through higher DRM certification tiers, and larger screens ensure passengers can enjoy that premium content.
Wireless systems favour personalisation — passengers use their own headphones, accessibility settings, and apps. Yet small screens, glare, and limited battery life can hinder enjoyment on long flights. Airlines mitigate this by offering power on seats to keep passenger devices charging.
Still, given the dominance of smartphones, W-IFE primarily plays on phone-sized interfaces rather than tablets, which may detract from passengers’ enjoyment of the content.
In-flight entertainment and connectivity
Airlines increasingly compete on digital experience as much as comfort, and connectivity is a competitive advantage. According to Viasat’s 2024 Passenger Experience Survey, 90% of long-haul travellers say WiFi is important, and 83% believe it should be free on flights over six hours.
“W-IFE is often installed alongside IFC as an accompanying service, though this is becoming less common as the likes of Starlink do not offer W-IFE,” Wheland said.
Although Starlink doesn’t offer a digital platform along with its IFC offering, it creates a new market for digital service specialists. For example, Hawaiian Airlines, which was one of the first airlines to adopt Starlink, offers a W-IFE solution from Anuvu.
“It’s often assumed that because Starlink offers pure connectivity without any digital services packaged in, that airlines will not source any of these services from elsewhere. However, our discussions with airlines suggest that many still value offering digital services onboard,” Whelan said.
The key is for vendors to create digital services that connectivity alone cannot provide, such as interactive in-flight maps, e-commerce opportunities, and food and beverage services. Many established W-IFE vendors and in-flight digital technology specialists, such as AirFi, Bluebox Aviation Systems, Immfly, and Inflight Dublin, have developed these capabilities without requiring a satellite connection.
W-IFE is an attractive solution for low-cost carriers that typically don’t offer in-flight connectivity, enabling them to improve the passenger experience through digitalised services.
“Many LCCs and regional airlines are in the early stages of their digital development and may find that going direct to a high-bandwidth connectivity solution does not yet make sense as a business model,” Whelan said.
With smartphones now universal and tablets niche, W-IFE reaches nearly every passenger — but seatback IFE continues to define the flagship experience. Both solutions support airline competition by turning the cabin into a unified digital environment where entertainment and revenue can converge.
Featured Image: American Airlines
