Japan Airlines plans to discontinue its in-flight audio service on domestic routes at the end of March, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Despite entertaining passengers for nearly 50 years with music and rakugo comic-storytelling programming, the rise of onboard Wi-Fi connectivity is thought to have increasingly made the service obsolete, prompting JAL's decision to pull the once pioneering technology from the air.
First debuted in August 1972 on a Boeing 747 "jumbo jet," the service provided passengers the revolutionary experience of listening to their own audio with personal headphones provided at each seat.
In recent years, passengers have been able to choose from nine channels, ranging from classical to pop music, rakugo comic-storytelling recordings, and radio programs presented by JAL.
The service will continue to be offered for international flights.
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