Projects

Qantas First Airline to Offer Virtual Reality Headsets to Passengers

qantas-virtual-reality

Traveling will now be a different experience as the first Australian airline Qantas is now offering a new service for first class passengers. Qantas, in collaboration with Samsung wants to introduce a GearVR headset for those who are travelling first-class on long flights.

The Australian airline will be the first company to offer this virtual reality service for its passengers.

The company is already providing passengers with virtual reality goggles inside the First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne. On the A380 flights, which travel between Australia and Los Angeles, the company will be providing these headsets as soon as March.

The experience is made possible with GearVR, produced with Oculus, and is powered by a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Samsung specifically developed an app for Qantas that will contain exclusive content for the headset.

Qantas will be using this VR experience to facilitate their customers and are planning to showcase passenger destinations. Featured programming will include 360-degree views of the Qantas’ first-class lounge at Los Angeles International Airport, in addition to the company’s massive A380 planes landing on the runway and a 3D exploration of the Kakadu National Park in Australia.

The company is working to develop additional live-action content that will include destination footage for the passengers with the help of JauntVR.

Qantas group executive, brand, marketing and corporate affairs, Olivia Wirth said,

Whether the user wants a virtual tour of our new Los Angeles First Lounge or experience an A380 landing from the tarmac, this technology gives us a completely new way to connect with our customers

Samsung and Qantas will run a three-month trial to get feedback from the customers regarding this new technology and VR experience.

From an inflight entertainment perspective, this is an industry first. Olivia Wirth also mentioned, “Qantas is committed to being at the forefront of innovation to give our passengers the very best and latest in-flight experiences, like accessing the virtual worlds of their favorite Hollywood blockbusters from the comfort of their seat 40,000 feet above the ground.”

Stay tuned to get more information about the world of virtual reality cinema developments.

About the Scout

Jonathan Nafarrete

Jonathan Nafarrete is the co-founder of VRScout.

Leave a Comment

Send this to a friend