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Entertainment Technology

British Airways Testing VR Headsets For First-Class Passengers This Year (arstechnica.com) 43

Posted by BeauHD from the prepare-for-takeoff dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: British Airways announced that it is testing out virtual reality headsets for the rest of this year on flights between London's Heathrow and New York City's John F. Kennedy airport. The airline is tapping SkyLights for the VR eyewear headsets that will be available for its first-class passengers. The AlloSky hardware can present 3D views even when the viewer is lying flat. As far as programming, British Airways will have options. The VR headsets will offer visual entertainment in 2D, 3D, or 360-degree formats. The airline will also provide more therapeutic programs to help people who have a fear of flying. These VR experiences include guided meditation and sound therapy. This marks the first time British Airways is bringing virtual reality onto its aircrafts. The company also used SkyLights' hardware at its ticket counters in Heathrow to show passengers the experience of its first-class travel in an effort to encourage upgrades.
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British Airways Testing VR Headsets For First-Class Passengers This Year More

British Airways Testing VR Headsets For First-Class Passengers This Year

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  • Can't be done in sardine class (Score:4)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @08:02AM (#59089244)

    For safety reasons. If two people sitting next to each other turned towards each other, their headsets would collide.

    • For safety reasons. If two people sitting next to each other turned towards each other, their headsets would collide.

      VR requires you to be immersed in the set. You can't do that with Mrs. Obese spilling over into your seat- Mr. and Mrs. We Don't Discipline Our Kids ignoring their screaming kids and Mr. I've Got Insanely Long Legs But Pretend I Can Fit In Economy Seats kneeing you in the back from behind every 5 minutes.

      • VR requires you to be immersed in the set.

        Not entirely. You can do interesting/useful things with VR without being fully sensory immersed.

        That being said I'm not really sure what their specific plans are for this. I get they would do something entertainment related but what exactly?
        The problem with VR has always been that the technology is clumsy and there is no killer app for it outside of some specialized vertical applications like flight simulations. Since this is an actual flight that doesn't apply here obviously. VR is neat but there just

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by pavon ( 30274 )

          The SkyLights website [skylights.aero] has more information about the types of content. As "visual entertainment in 2D, 3D, or 360-degree formats" hints at, it is mostly passive consumption like movies, not much interactivity.

        • A good what: Replace all those plane windows with two 360 degree Intel Realsense cameras, streamed realtime from an onboard server.

          The realtime feeling of flight will be just like a dream......

          • Fear (Score:2)

            by sjbe ( 173966 )

            A good what: Replace all those plane windows with two 360 degree Intel Realsense cameras, streamed realtime from an onboard server. The realtime feeling of flight will be just like a dream......

            To people afraid of flying that would be an absolute nightmare. And a lot of people like the windows, me included.

        • I'm curious how they plan to clean and maintain the gear between flights. There are some logistics here. Not to mention who is going to clean up all the vomit from the motion sickness.

          I wonder if it's possible to have the motion sickness generated by the VR display compensate for the motion sickness generated by the plane's plunging five thousand feet because of a software fault in the navigation system.

          Or for the sickness generated by the airline food. Or the behavior of the other passengers.

      • You can't do that with Mrs. Obese spilling over into your seat-

        This just reminds me of when airlines were called "fat shaming" when they wanted to make people of a certain size/weight pay for two seats.

        I was also reminded of this when my wife and I flew a few months ago. She's pretty small and thin, while I'm more around average size. She made a comment after our first flight of "I guess it's good we had the seats we did, I don't know how you would've sat in that seat with that man half sitting in it." He took up half the aisle and at least 1/4 of my wife's seat...

        • You can't do that with Mrs. Obese spilling over into your seat-

          This just reminds me of when airlines were called "fat shaming" when they wanted to make people of a certain size/weight pay for two seats.

          I was also reminded of this when my wife and I flew a few months ago. She's pretty small and thin, while I'm more around average size. She made a comment after our first flight of "I guess it's good we had the seats we did, I don't know how you would've sat in that seat with that man half sitting in it." He took up half the aisle and at least 1/4 of my wife's seat....

          We've got people complaining about how it's fat shaming and unfair.... But then there's the people taking up 2 seats and half the aisle.

          If the seats were the size they were 20 years ago then the obese person wouldn't need two seats... the long legged guy would fit without bashing the seat in front of him, etc. Yeah, people got bigger, but plane seats got smaller so that the point in which you can't fit in a seat became lower and lower.

          Not sure if we blame the consumers for allowing the airlines to cram us into smaller and smaller space in search of cheaper flights- or if we blame the airlines for going after the money by cramping more peop

    • Let me know when it is not only available in Sardine Class , but even better yet, when they replace the windows with top and bottom 360 degree cameras.

      Would make for a MUCH safer flight.

      • Some of us prefer seeing the miracle of flight firsthand. Might as well live in the Matrix...

      • No, what you will get is advertisements, and they could cut off your view at any time. The picture will still be distorted.

        We need bigger windows for a real view, even if it is all smoggy up there now. Ugh! It's horrible.

  • Put cameras around the outside of the plane so you can give people a live virtual view of the sky around them.

  • flight deck announcement = an jarring jump cut?

  • For when flying BA. What could have been is now just all VR.

  • The possibilities are now endless... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Muckluck ( 759718 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @08:49AM (#59089422)
    Many people can't handle the sensory disconnect of VR sitting still, let alone in a jarring and pitching plane. This has the makings of a chain vomit comet in first class.

    >>So, what's that all over your shirt?

    >>Guy next to me was wearing the VR headset looking at roller coasters on YouTube and hurled everywhere when we hit some turbulence. Then I threw up on him because his vomit was everywhere. Then the dude across the aisle threw up...

    • Many people can't handle the sensory disconnect of VR sitting still, let alone in a jarring and pitching plane. This has the makings of a chain vomit comet in first class.

      >>So, what's that all over your shirt?

      >>Guy next to me was wearing the VR headset looking at roller coasters on YouTube and hurled everywhere when we hit some turbulence. Then I threw up on him because his vomit was everywhere. Then the dude across the aisle threw up...

      Just imagine if any Slashdot users were to try this. Just watching a movie with shaky came makes more than 75% of Slashdot users* nauseated (*based on the whining and complaining about any movies with shaky cam).

    • I just hope the motion sickness bags aren't virtual. My worst experience on a plane was when someone dropped and broke open a cheap 4oz bottle of perfume. Worse than getting squeezed between two obese dudes in sardine class for 4 hours, worse than the crazy old lady trying to convert me to some new age thing despite a lack of eye contact, worse than being seated next to an infant future opera singer whose ears or something hurt on takeoff. It was nightmarish, but this would be much, much worse.

  • 360 content? (Score:3)

    by burhop ( 2883223 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @08:49AM (#59089426)

    I can just see the first class folks spinning in their seats. Imagine the row behind when you look up and some person with crazy goggles is peering back at you.

    I predict 360 content will be removed after the first few weeks.

  • This is going to result in some major motion sickness. It's bad enough being immersed visually when it does not correlate to what our inner ears sense. However when you have random motion occurring from the flight, totally disassociated with all visual perception, motion sickness will be compounded.

  • Seeing clouds and terrain whiz by with no plane in 360 would be pretty slick

    • I like the cut of your jib.

    • It's only on LHR-JFK flights for now, so it would be a lot of empty ocean.

      But then it's VR, so it could look like you're flying just above the peaks of the Himalayas even when you're actually 47000 feet above empty ocean...

  • Or is that just U.S. local flights that have become that bad in what they offer in their bus with wings?
    • Domestic first is slightly nicer than pre-dereg coach, and unsurprisingly costs about the same after accounting for inflation. International business is a seat that turns into a bed. Costs a ton. International first ranges from an extra-wide version of business to a small enclosed suite, depending on the airline. Costs a fortune.

  • Mandatory (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Fieryphoenix ( 1161565 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @09:09AM (#59089478)

    There need to be live feeds from 360 degree cameras mounted outside the plane.

    • The cameras they already have feeding into the IFE don't work half the time, or they've got grime over half the lens.

  • Is this the new vomit comet? (Score:3)

    by sjbe ( 173966 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @09:14AM (#59089498)

    British Airways announced that it is testing out virtual reality headsets for the rest of this year on flights between London's Heathrow and New York City's John F. Kennedy airport.

    While I applaud the effort to make flying a better experience I would STRONGLY suggest they have barf bags at the ready. I've worked in the VR industry in a previous job and motion sickness is a problem for many people even when people are standing still on solid ground. Add the motion of an aircraft and if people aren't vomiting on a regular basis I'd be very surprised.

  • Just Make it a Flying experience (Score:3)

    by Ryzilynt ( 3492885 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @09:21AM (#59089520)

    Riding on the back of a dragon, piloting a plane, flying a hand glider. The visuals will match the vestibular, no nausea.

    Pilot wings $$

  • This would make more sense for passengers in coach, as they'd probably pay a few bucks to pretend their somewhere else. It would be particularly popular with passengers in middle seats.

    • This would make more sense for passengers in coach, as they'd probably pay a few bucks to pretend their somewhere else. It would be particularly popular with passengers in middle seats.

      It will trickle down to economy eventually. Although the only VR available to economy travelers would be of a plane in which they were sitting in first class- to encourage them to get first class next time when they see what they're missing.

  • wait, does that mean I can go to a BA ticket counter put on the SkyLights headset, which advertises their 1st class to me, where, while in VR, I'll put on the SkyLights offered in First class to verify if having the headset during the flight is worth the upgrade? ;)

  • Use 360deg cameras... (Score:3)

    by BenJeremy ( 181303 ) on Thursday August 15, 2019 @10:00AM (#59089666)

    ...around the aircraft, and give you the illusion of flying with nothing else under you. That would be pretty trippy.

    • Also, it would let you see cool stuff even if it’s on the other side of the aircraft. I’d use it. I routinely try to use the windows to figure out where I am before looking at the “My Flight” display. Sometimes easy, sometimes hard, but always rewarding, and you can get some pretty amazing sights. I would love to get an unobstructed view from the underside of the hull.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Just bring an Oculus Quest on board.

    The Oculus Go, because it doesn't have external references, has tracking problems as the plane rolls and turns.
    If wonder how British Airways tackled that problem BTW.

  • These VR experiences include guided meditation and sound therapy.

    Listen to the sound of my voice.
    Relax. Calm yourself.
    Onions have layers.
    Ogres have layers.
    Shrek is love.
    Shrek is life.

  • Fake (Score:2)

    by hoofie ( 201045 )

    You can put your headrest on and pretend you are flying with a full-service airline with impeccable service : something BA ditched years ago in the race to become a crap airline.

  • I don't need to be encouraged to upgrade. I already know I want that extra comfortable seat, improved service, actual legroom and and space.

    I just can't fucking afford it.

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