On most flights, regardless of whether I'm in business class or economy, it's rare not to spy at least one passenger in any given row using a tablet or e-book reader. Tablets from Apple and Google have joined the growing legion of travel-friendly gadgets that I'm seeing in increasing numbers on planes, in airport lounges and hotel lobbies. These large, thick paperback tomes are geared to passengers with engaging, easy-to-read escapism to reduce the boredom factor in long flights.Īs Ian Fleming freely admitted of his James Bond adventures, 'I write for warm-blooded heterosexuals in railway trains, aeroplanes and beds.' But is the new wave of technology setting up books for their own cliffhanger ending? It's no accident that air travel spawned its own category of literature in the form of the 'airport novel'. It certainly seems that books, at least in their printed 'dead tree' format, are slowly being pushed off the inflight reading list. You reach into your carry-on bag and pull out – what? An iPad? A Kindle? The latest issue of your favourite magazine, or a book? You've settled into your seat on the plane, with many hours stretching ahead of you. It's post-coronavirus and you're off on (another) business trip.

Best device for reading books