Last year, Meta teamed up with Lufthansa, the German airline, to introduce Quest 3 headsets on their flights. The initiative has proven quite successful, and Meta now aims to offer this immersive in-flight entertainment experience to a broader range of airlines.
Initially, Meta rolled out its eagerly awaited Travel Mode, designed for Quest 2 and newer headsets. This feature tackles the challenge posed by the difference in motion between the user and the moving airplane, which has traditionally been a hindrance for VR experiences at high altitudes or on sea voyages.
Building upon the foundation laid by Travel Mode, Meta took a step further in June by launching a pilot program—pun intended. This program provides Lufthansa’s Allegris Business Class passengers with a Quest 3 headset on selected flights. With this innovative offering, travelers can enjoy movies, TV shows on virtual screens, experience spatial and 360-degree videos, engage in guided meditation, and even play games like Connect Four and chess.
Meta reports that the Lufthansa program has been a hit, delighting nearly 4,000 passengers with Quest 3 in-flight entertainment. This success fuels Meta’s ambition to extend this service to more airlines soon.
Sarah Malkin, Meta’s Director of Entertainment Content at Reality Labs, highlights the significance of this endeavor: “This activation marks a pivotal moment in our development of Travel Mode and immersive services. We’re now focusing on expanding this offering to more airlines and optimizing our product suite.”
Although Meta hasn’t disclosed the specific airlines it is targeting next, it’s likely to remain a premium feature reserved for Business and First Class passengers. Such services typically come with extras like spacious seats that convert into beds, noise-canceling headphones, gourmet meals, and premium drinks—the whole nine yards.
Notably, this isn’t the first instance of airlines exploring XR headsets as exclusive offerings. Back in 2015, Australian airline Qantas was among the pioneers to provide complimentary access to Samsung Gear VR for their first-class flyers. Other airlines that dabbled in VR headset programs included Air France, Iberia, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, though these initiatives have since been phased out.
