The era of sub-par inflight entertainment tech is coming to an end and Delta Airlines wants to pioneer a new era of mile-high visual fidelity.
During its rather glitzy press conference at CES 2025, the company revealed plans to installed 4K HDR QLED displays in passenger seat backs.
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Starting next year, the upgraded displays will begin appearing in all cabins, which is somewhat surprisingly given the miserly way economy passengers are treated by the major airlines these days.
Because Delta is also upgrading the on-board storage on its planes (to a staggering 96TB) there’ll be plenty of 4K ready movies and TV shows to enjoy.
Delta also revealed the new entertainment portal will feature “an advanced recommendation engine tailoring content to customer preferences so they can spend less time scrolling and more time enjoying.” Passengers will also be able to select a Do Not Disturb mode so they’re not pestered by cabin staff with sub-standard food while they’re trying to sleep.
Delta previously announced it was working on Bluetooth connectivity, enabling passengers to connect their own headphones to the displays for a higher quality audio experience.
That’ll also begin to roll out in 2026. Delta won’t be first to this tech. On my flight back to the United States this week I was pleased to see Virgin Atlantic had integrated new entertainment systems with easy Bluetooth connectivity. I don’t carry a pair of wired cans with me anymore, so not having to use those nasty models handed out by the cabin crew was a nice bonus.
Elsewhere, Delta says, there will be bonuses for Delta Skymiles members, with access to YouTube Premium and YouTube Music on the house.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
