Lufthansa and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, have partnered to offer Meta Quest 3 Mixed Reality (MR) headsets to the carrier’s business class passengers flying in its newly-introduced Allegris Business Class.
Through a pilot program, Lufthansa and Meta will outfit selected flights for customers of the new Lufthansa Allegris Business Class Suite with a variety of custom, dedicated MR content spanning entertainment, travel, wellness, games, and more – all designed to run on Quest 3 in Travel Mode. Meta Business Partner MSM.digital will create content and provide device setup, distribution, management, and technical support, in close collaboration with Meta and Lufthansa.
According to Meta, this marks the first time an airline will offer access to Quest 3 headsets in a commercial inflight setting.
“The Lufthansa Group has already been using Extended Reality in training and marketing for some time – and now, during this test case, we are first mover for this innovative entertainment offering. Through the cooperation with Meta, two innovative market leaders can open the next chapter of inflight entertainment and offer guests completely new experiences,” says Björn Becker, Head of Future Intercontinental Experience, Lufthansa Group.
Beginning this summer, Business Class Suite Passengers on the selected flights will be able to:
- Enjoy an immersive cinema experience with select movies and TV shows
- Listen to prominent travel podcasters and see their stories come to life through spatial videos and select 360-degree video content
- Discover travel destinations from a bird’s-eye view with virtual sightseeing previews before you arrive
- Play interactive games like Connect Four and Chess
- Relax with active meditation exercises or enjoy a passive, lean-back experience
The announcement is in line with the newly-introduced Travel Mode on Meta Quest 2 and 3, which turns the headsets into an inflight entertainment device, allowing passengers to watch movies, play virtual games, use meditation apps and work inflight. The headsets can be paired with the airline’s Wi-Fi, so that passengers can access movies and TV shows from their tablet or laptop.
The new VR headsets are expected to be introduced during the summer of 2024 and will feature on Lufthansa’s fleet of Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which are gradually being fitted with the airline’s new Allegris business class product.
Hear more from Lufthansa Group at the co-located FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing events, taking place in Dublin on 11-13 June 2024. Keith Martin, Senior Strategy Manager, will deliver a presentation on ‘Modern Airline Retailing at Lufthansa Group: Insights and Outlook’. Meanwhile, attendees will hear all about ‘The secrets to making eSIM a game-changer for ancillary revenues for airlines, airports, OTAs and other brands’ in a joint presentation by Timothy Haupt, Manager, Ancillary Strategy & Commercial Development, Lufthansa Group and Bill McKimm, VP of Travel Sales, eSIM Go.
View the FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing schedule at a glance >> Register for FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing – one registration provides access to both events >>
