Last year, Meta teamed up with Germany’s Lufthansa to offer Quest 3 headsets to their flight passengers. Due to its success, they are now aiming to roll out their in-flight XR entertainment to more airlines.
Meta introduced the much-awaited Travel Mode last year, designed for anyone with a Quest 2 or newer. This feature helps counteract the difference in motion between the user and the airplane, a challenge that’s plagued VR users across all modes of transport.
Building on this, Meta launched a pilot project last June. Passengers in the Lufthansa Allegris Business Class Suite were treated to a Quest 3 experience on selected flights. This allowed them to enjoy movies and TV shows on virtual screens, explore spatial and 360-degree videos, participate in guided meditation, and even play games like Connect Four and chess.
The program has been such a hit, entertaining nearly 4,000 passengers to date, that Meta is enthusiastic about extending this offering to more airlines soon.
Sarah Malkin, Director of Entertainment Content at Meta’s Reality Labs, shared, “This initiative is a major milestone for our Travel Mode and immersive services. Our next steps involve bringing this experience to a broader range of airlines and refining our product offerings.”
While Meta hasn’t revealed which airlines they’re targeting next, it’s likely to remain an exclusive treat for Business and First Class, complete with other luxuries like lay-flat seats and gourmet meals.
This isn’t the first time airlines have incorporated XR tech for high-tier passengers. Back in 2015, Qantas experimented with offering Samsung Gear VR for first-class entertainment. Other airlines, like Air France and Singapore Airlines, have tried similar ventures with VR headsets, though those programs have since ended.
