There are two kinds of people on planes: the ones who treat the seatback screen like a movie theater… and the ones who treat it like a dashboard.
I’m firmly in the second group. If there’s a flight map available, there’s a good chance it’ll be on my screen for an embarrassing amount of time. Not because I’m doing anything productive with it. I just like knowing where we are, how much longer we have, and whether the little plane icon is making the kind of progress that feels emotionally satisfying.
But when I do watch something, I have very specific in-flight rules.
My In-Flight Entertainment Strategy
On a short flight, I’ll often default to the map and call it a day. On a longer one, I usually alternate between:
- Movies I already know (so I don’t feel “guilty” if I fall asleep, get interrupted by service, or pause it 14 times)
- Movies I’ve been meaning to watch forever (the ones I always say “I’ll get to that” and then never do)
That second category is how I ended up working my way through several Wes Anderson films on flights—The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Yes, I know they’re “better on a big screen.” No, I will not be taking questions at this time.
My most recent “finally watched it” pick was Lady Bird, which I’d been meaning to see ever since Barbie, mostly because I wanted to check out Greta Gerwig’s other movies. (That, and they used The Monkees’ deep cut “As We Go Along” in the trailer.) (Note from Joe’s wife, Sharon: Hey music geeks! Fun Fact! “As We Go Along” is partially written in 5/4 time!)
And if you’re flying over the holidays, you can always watch a Christmas movie. I was glad to see Delta take a controversial stance and put Die Hard in the Holiday films section.
I Don’t Understand the TV Show People
Here’s what breaks my brain: people who watch TV shows on planes.
Not because TV is bad. Because it just feels wrong. You’re usually watching, what… two episodes? Maybe three? How do you jump into a show, sometimes in a random season, watch a tiny slice of it, and then just… stop?
I’ve tried it. My brain doesn’t like it. It feels like reading three chapters in the middle of Game of Thrones, closing the book, and then promising yourself you’ll remember everything later.
I still don’t fully get it… but to each their own.
My Most Common Entertainment on a Plane Is the Flight Map
If you’ve ever kept the flight tracker on for the entire trip, you’re not alone. Some people watch the map the way sports fans watch a scoreboard—checking the remaining time, the progress, the little changes that prove something is happening.
There’s also a tiny psychological comfort to it. When you’re stuck in a metal tube with limited legroom, the map is the one thing that says, “Yes, we are moving. Yes, time is passing. Yes, this will eventually end.”
Confession: Sometimes the Best Entertainment Is Someone Else’s Screen
Let’s be honest: the “in-flight entertainment” isn’t always on your screen.
I’m not proud of this, but I have absolutely watched a significant portion of a movie on the screen in front of the person diagonally across from me. Once, I more or less watched most of Black Panther that way—across the aisle, one row up, like the world’s worst IMAX experience.
It’s rarely intentional. It just… happens. You glance. You see something interesting. You glance again. Next thing you know, you’re emotionally invested and rooting for the hero while pretending you’re definitely not watching.
If you’ve done this too, congratulations: you are part of a very large, very quiet club. (Note from Sharon: hand raised!)
And Then There Are the People Who Watch Nothing
If you think it’s strange that someone can watch two episodes of a TV show and then stop… let me introduce you to the opposite extreme: people who watch nothing.
Sharon actually tried the “inflight rawdogging” trend on a two-hour flight—no phone, no TV, no book, no music, no snacks. Just sitting there, staring into space, like it was a meditation retreat at 35,000 feet.
And after conducting this experiment “for science,” she reached the only reasonable conclusion:
Rawdogging is a total waste of time. Not recommended.
If you want the full field report, it’s right here: Exclusive: My Up Close & Personal Experience With Inflight Rawdogging.
So… What Do You Watch on Planes?
I genuinely want to know what people do with this weird little slice of time in the sky.
- Are you Team Flight Map?
- Do you prefer comfort rewatches or new-to-you movies?
- Are you one of the people who can watch three random episodes of a TV show and feel totally fine afterward?
- And be honest: have you ever watched someone else’s screen and accidentally “seen” half a movie?
Final Thought
Flying does something weird to our brains. On the ground, I’d overthink what to watch and feel guilty rewatching something I’ve already seen. On a plane, the rules change. The flight map becomes prestige television. Comfort movies become practical. And apparently, some people can just stare at the seatback in silence for two hours like they’re training for the Olympics.
Your turn: what’s your go-to in-flight entertainment?
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