How in-Flight Entertainment Ends Up on Your Seatback

The New York Times has a fun tidbit to take with you on your holiday travels: everything you could ever ask about how in-flight movies are chosen. Writer Matt Stevens says that movies are the top choice for those who turn on their screen (typically over half of passengers, and up to 80%). "The people who aren't engaging are basically on redeye flights coming back from Las Vegas or they are children under two," Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Delta's managing director for customer experience, tells the Times. Here's how the in-flight movie magic happens:

• "Cinemas of the sky": That's how Dominic Green, the director of in-flight entertainment at United, refers to the vast number of airplanes showing films. Delta has 840 planes with 165,000 seat-back screens, while United has 500 planes and plans to outfit more—making them pretty significant theaters.
• Choosing films: A small team (between one and eight people at the airlines interviewed) is tasked with picking everything. Some of their calculus comes from data—they know what we're watching, and can use that information to predict success. They also look for trends in the cultural zeitgeist and social media. Cost is a factor. In one instance, an airline passed on licensing Top Gun: Maverick to stay within budget, even though they knew it would be popular.

• Unexpected hits: Airline data gives a peek into what people actually watch on planes, and some films are so popular, they've been dubbed "airline movies" (like Crazy Rich Asians, which elicits complaints when it's taken out of rotation). But some films, like Cats, which was a flop in theaters, become surprise hits at 30,000 feet, and was Southwest's top performing movie for some time. Demographic data can also surprise: Delta was delighted to find that male business travelers were the top audience for Barbie.
• What to watch: In-flight entertainment isn't the only option in the skies. Time created a list of the 15 best movies to watch on airplanes, which you can always download and bring along. The list uses criteria for optimal flight experience, like watchability on a small screen, and fast-paced enough to transport you (and crosses genres, with picks ranging from My Neighbor Totoro to Booksmart).

Read the full piece here. (This is the most popular seat on an airplane.)