Passengers planning to fly Emirates can now get a taste of their inflight experience even without boarding the plane. The airline has adopted Virtual Reality (VR) technology to offer flyers an opportunity to explore flight seats and cabins at the comfort of their homes. The VR technology offers a 3D 360 degree view of the flight surroundings. This immersive experience is available in Emirates A380 and the Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft. The new feature, which can be accessed on http://www.emirates.com, allows users to navigate through the Economy, Business and First Class cabins,
as well as the iconic Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots. Users can enjoy hands-free cabin navigation and seat selection by using any VR headset like Google Cardboard. This technology is compatible with all devices without the need for external applications or plugins. The 3D seat models were created in partnership with Renacen, which was awarded the Crystal Cabin for the best visionary concept for this project at the recent Crystal Cabin Awards.
Customers accessing the website via their mobile devices or the Emirates app for iOS and Android will also be able to explore their seats before checking in online with the 3D seat map. The tool allows customers to navigate from one seat to another, and even allows would-be customers to book their preferred seats from within the 3D environment. In addition to the new 3D cabin models, new product videos are available on the website, which illustrate the end-to-end travel experience across all cabins.
The videos serve as a guide, giving new customers a clear idea of all the unique features of the Emirates travel
experience Alex Knigge, Emirates’ Senior VP, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand (Digital), said that the
digital initiative is an effort to offer customers an immersive experience both onboard and on the ground. “We are pleased to be the world’s first airline to introduce this cutting edge web VR technology,” he said.
