IFE
In-flight entertainment — seatback screens, streaming to devices and Wi-Fi — which cabin crew reset, explain and apologise for.
Definition
IFE stands for in-flight entertainment: the seatback screens, wireless streaming to passengers' own devices, onboard Wi-Fi and the audio and moving-map content behind them. On modern wide-bodies it is integrated with the cabin management system, so the same crew panel controls lighting, PA and the IFE. Long-haul full-service carriers treat it as a headline product; most short-haul low-cost carriers do not fit it at all.
What it means for you
You are the front line of IFE support: resetting a frozen seat from the crew panel, moving a passenger to a working seat when a reset fails, and explaining the compensation policy for a screen that stays dead for twelve hours. The system also runs the safety video, so an IFE failure before departure can mean a manual safety demonstration and a delay. Knowing the reset procedure cold is a small thing that makes a long-haul day much shorter.
In practice
Emirates markets its ice system as a reason to fly the airline, and a crew member on a 16-hour Dubai–Auckland sector will field more questions about it than about the meal.
Related terms
3 terms- Safety demonstrationSafety & trainingThe mandatory briefing before take-off on seatbelts, exits, life jackets, oxygen and the safety card — by video or crew demonstration.
- Long-haulFlight operationsFlights of roughly six hours or more on wide-body aircraft, normally one sector a day followed by a layover.
- Wide-bodyFlight operationsAn aircraft with a fuselage wide enough for two aisles — the 777, 787, A330, A350 and A380 — used for long-haul flying.