The study was carried out by travel booking platform Traveloka, which ranked the top 50 most 'tech friendly' airlines in the world.
Qatar Airways has topped a poll to find the best on-board technology.
The study was carried out by travel booking platform Traveloka, which ranked the top 50 most 'tech friendly' airlines in the world.
It rated the carriers for on-board Wi-Fi, power connections and how connected passengers can stay to those on the ground via text messages, phone calls and live TV.
State-owned Qatar narrowly beat Emirates, which came second in the ranking, ahead of US-based Delta and British Airways.
Qatar Airways was praised for launching 'super Wi-Fi' earlier this year, which boasts speeds of up to 50 Mbps.
Passengers on board are also offered their first hour of high-speed broadband access for free or can buy unlimited usage for the duration of their flight for US$10.
Emirates won praise for its selection of in-flight entertainment, which the study found includes 3,500 channels of movies, TV shows, music, games and live TV from CNN International, CNBC, BBC World Service and Sport24.
The Dubai-based carrier provides 20MB of free Wi-Fi for passengers that has to be used within two hours.
Caesar Indra, SVP for business development at Traveloka, said, “It's not unreasonable to assume the airlines with the best reputation or most expensive seats will offer the best in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi, but our research proves this isn't always the case.
“In fact, some budget-friendly carriers, such as JetBlue Airways, are going above and beyond to guarantee their customers reliable connectivity.
“Across the board, we're seeing airlines striving to gain a competitive edge by making improvements to their tech offerings.”