Three years later Virgin Atlantic became the first airline to offer seat-back screens to passengers across all classes.

For the first time passengers could choose what to watch and when to watch it. Before that, inflight movies were shown on drop-down screens.

Passengers watching film shown on an aeroplane in 1925. (Photo: HULTON-DEUTSCH COLLECTION/CORBIS).

You got to see what the airline decided was appropriate, with audio via slightly weird earphones that sort of delivered sound.

If your sight-line was lousy you might get a stiff neck, or no movie at all.

However, that in itself was an improvement over the days when cabin crew would unfurl a projection screen at the front of the cabin.

Seat-back screens are set to become a thing of the past. (Photo: iStock).

From Airvision’s tiny displays, seat-back screens have morphed into sizeable items. In 2012 South Korea’s Asiana offered 32-inch (81cm) screens to its first-class flyers, but seat-back screens are disappearing.

They’re expensive, they add weight and complexity and when most flyers have a smartphone or tablet, airlines are preferring to stream inflight entertainment via an app.

Michael Gebicki – Traveller