Best Podcasts and Music Apps for Long Flights
The right podcasts and music apps for long flights can make an eight-hour journey pass in a fraction of the time, provided everything is downloaded before you board, since inflight wifi is often patchy or unavailable entirely.
Download Before You Fly
Most major podcast and music apps, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, support offline downloads on a paid tier. Downloading a full playlist or a season of episodes before departure avoids relying on inflight wifi, which is frequently slow or chargeable.
What to Queue Up for a Long-Haul Flight
- Long-form podcasts, which suit the extended, uninterrupted listening time a flight provides better than short daily shows
- Audiobooks, particularly for flights where reading a screen causes eye strain
- Calming playlists for the descent and landing phase, when many travellers prefer something relaxing over upbeat music
Battery and Storage Considerations
Downloaded audio content uses considerably less battery than streaming video, making it a practical choice on flights without reliable seat power. Clearing unused apps and files before your trip also frees up storage for a full download queue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I download Spotify playlists for offline listening on a flight?
Yes, a Spotify Premium subscription allows playlists, albums and podcasts to be downloaded for offline listening, which works well once in airplane mode.
Choosing Content for Different Flight Phases
Different parts of a flight suit different types of content. Takeoff and the first hour often suit something engaging enough to distract from the noise and unfamiliarity of the cabin, while the middle of a long flight is often better suited to calmer content that supports rest. Saving a genuinely exciting podcast episode or an upbeat playlist for the final approach can also make the last stretch of a long flight feel shorter.
Managing Data and Offline Access
Downloading content requires enough free storage, and large podcast back-catalogues or full albums can use several gigabytes quickly. Checking available storage and clearing unused apps or photos a day or two before a flight, rather than the morning of departure when wifi queues at home may be shared with other tasks, avoids a rushed, incomplete download queue.
Alternatives When You Forget to Download
If you board without downloaded content, many airlines still offer their own inflight entertainment systems with a reasonable film and music selection, even on routes without seatback screens, often accessible by streaming to your own device once connected to the aircraft wifi. It is a reasonable backup, though generally more limited than a properly prepared personal download queue.
Podcast Apps Compared
Apple Podcasts offers the deepest offline integration for iPhone users, downloading automatically if set up in advance, while Spotify combines podcasts and music in a single offline library, useful for travellers who do not want to manage two separate apps. Pocket Casts and Overcast, both popular with heavier podcast listeners, offer more granular download and playback speed controls, which some travellers prefer for long-haul flights specifically.
Related Reading
About the author: The Stony Port editorial team researches travel tips to help UK travellers plan with confidence.
