After successful trials earlier this year, both at Iberia’s Premium Lounges at Madrid Airport and during a return flight between Madrid and Tel Aviv, Iberia and Inflight VR have announced that they are preparing further testing of the virtual reality inflight entertainment (IFE) system. Inflight VR was one of the companies chosen to take part in the second Hangar 51 programme, a global start-up accelerator project launched by International Airlines Group (IAG) to collaborate with disruptive companies that can revolutionise the aviation industry and improve customer experience.
“Being the first one to introduce a fully thought-through and motion sickness-free virtual reality IFE solution that allows for direct crew-to-passenger interaction makes us extremely proud,” says Nikolas Jaeger, founder, Inflight VR. “Especially after having gone through a strict operational approval process, it was great to see our VR inflight entertainment system in action.”
The VR-powered IFE platform allows for many different third-party application integrations ranging from VR storytelling to destination-based content, such as sightseeing tours or tourist shopping. The platform has the potential to be an entirely new form of an IFE that is generating revenue for airlines.
Melanie Berry, Inflight Customer Experience, Iberia, added: “In Iberia, we are working to enhance the experience of our customers from the time they book their tickets until they arrive at their destination, and the use of new technologies such as VR is part of it and also one of the customer engagement initiatives included in the phase 2 of our Plan de Futuro, as we aim to become a truly digital connected airline. It has been very positive to be able to test Inflight VR in our Premium Lounges at Madrid Airport and onboard of our flights in this pilot project.”
