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Until recently, long-haul economy flights were considered a painful and drawn-out affair. Passengers had little choice but to either sleep or track their flight's journey on a barely visible screen several rows in front.

But the days when travellers had nothing to keep themselves busy are long gone. Indeed, the emergence of in-flight entertainment (IFE) during the past 10 years has given passengers access to the latest movies, TV shows and music channels. Airlines competing for customer loyalty by offering frequent flights, direct routes and cheaper tickets are also using IFE to get passengers on board. For example, Emirates has invested heavily in the latest in-flight entertainment to steal a march on its rivals.

The investment appears to be paying off, with Emirates recently securing the best IFE provider accolade at the World Airline Awards for the third year running. "The reason we won the award is because we have invested very heavily in upgrading our IFE in the last few years, underscoring our commitment to product excellence and innovation in IFE," says Patrick Brannelly, Emirates' vice president of passenger communications and visual services.

He adds that while other airlines were focusing on IFE in the business and upper class cabins, Emirates was the first airline to install TVs in all economy seats. Other carriers have since followed suit, with Brannelly attributing the sector's rapid development to general growth across the entertainment industry.

"Television, cinema and audio absolutely consume huge parts of our lives," he says. "The meaning of entertainment is to occupy passengers through entertainment when they are sitting on an aircraft, largely unable to go anywhere."

Unlike Emirates, some airlines in the Middle East consider IFE a financial drain that contributes little to the bottom line. But Brannelly insists having the latest entertainment systems is often the deciding factor for potential customers. "You have to take a leap of faith; you have to create the experience that has all round appeal such as frequency, punctuality, great food, great crew and cleanliness," he says. "All these things have to be in place and entertainment is one of them."

Brannelly also believes passengers' expectations of onboard entertainment has increased in recent years. "It's the idea of having the immense choice, which is extremely important and people have high standards. I think the expectations are rising and that's a great thing. It keeps us on our toes, makes our job more fun, and some of the things we will have in the future will meet those expectations continually."

In 2003, Emirates carried out major product upgrades after investing in the Audio Visual on Demand (AVOD) system, which enables passengers to watch movies and TV programmes as they please. The airline then developed the Information Communication Entertainment (ICE) platform, an IFE system that utilises the latest technology. "We don't rest on our laurels," Brannelly says. "We know that we have to continually improve and innovate. When we launched ICE in 2003, we were in fact already working on the next generation system."

Indeed, Emirates has since introduced the latest ICE Digital Widescreen system, which has the world's largest widescreen TVs for any airline. It also has an advanced TV remote control and colour display.

Like Brannelly, Qatar Airways' commercial general manager Ali Al Rais believes investing in IFE is becoming increasingly important. "IFE definitely comes on a high rank, especially with the regular travellers," he says. "Passengers expect to be entertained and they are very aware of what airlines are offering."

According to Al Rais, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier's relatively young fleet allows for regular IFE upgrades. "It's easier to add new technology while you are ordering your planes," he says. "Technology is improving overall and so we look at other areas of entertainment and see if it fits in with passenger liking and if it can be translated into onboard entertainment."

Last year, Qatar Airways installed onboard satellite systems in individual seatback TVs for flights across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and South Africa. As the launch customer for the Rockwell Collins Tailwind 560 system, the carrier was also the first to provide passengers with live TV across multiple regions.

Emad Morcos from Showtime Arabia, the exclusive content partner for Rockwell Collins and programmes provider for Qatar Airways' live TV broadcasts, is another advocate of IFE. "Entertainment has always been and will always be about the latest experience on offer," he says. "Rockwell Collins recognises our expertise in TV entertainment, content aggregation and the region."

As a digital satellite pay-TV network for the Middle East and North Africa, Showtime Arabia is well placed to assess the needs of viewers flying to and from the region. It has arranged TV schedules for Qatar Airways' viewers and is set to carry out similar work for other carriers that use the Rockwell system.

"The rate of development of IFE is directly proportional to the quest by businesses, including airlines, to provide consumers with that compelling brand experience," Morcos says. "Increased competition, minimal price differentiation and the number of hours consumers are now spending in the air makes a service like IFE a differentiating factor that airlines can capitalise on."

Allan Pellegrini, vice president and general manager for IFE technology supplier Thales Inflight systems, agrees with Marcos. "Airlines are using IFE to help differentiate them from other carriers, and consumer and wireless technology is pushing IFE innovation," he says. "The industry has recovered and demand for IFE is consistent and strong. What we see in the Middle East is growing competition between carriers each wanting to have excellent IFE."

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