Thirty years is a long time in the aviation sector - but it feels to many passengers a far longer period of time has elapsed since the first audio players were offered on-board.
Thankfully the drop-down TV screens are slowly becoming a thing of yesteryear as passengers expect their own back-seat in-flight entertainment system, with movies-on-demand and, more recently, internet access.
That connection - be it digital or otherwise - between passenger and airline is probably in pole position for even further development, as travellers bring their own devices and expect carriers to engage with them through the most convenient channel (even in-flight safety briefings have taken on a new, often bizarre, twist).
SITA On Air has looked at the history and some of its own survey data to try and illustrate where the sector has come from, and what it is expected of it by passengers in 2016.
Here is the infographic (click image for a larger version or here):