Virgin Atlantic passengers will be the first air travellers to experience the benefits of Google Glass technology as they arrive at London Heathrow airport, in a pilot scheme which starts today.
Concierge staff in the airline’s Upper Class wing will be using Google Glass and other wearable technology to deliver high tech and personalised customer service.
The technology is being introduced as Virgin publishes the results of a major study of 10,000 airline passengers from across the world on the future of air travel. The results show that as the number of people travelling by plane has sky-rocketed in recent decades, the experience has lessened.
Working with air-transport specialist SITA, Virgin is the first in the industry to test how the latest wearable technology, including Google Glass, can best be used to enhance customers’ travel experiences and improve efficiency.
Staff will welcome Upper Class passengers from their chauffeured limousine at Heathrow’s T3 and, wearing the technology, will start the check-in process. At the same time, they will be able to update passengers on their latest flight information, weather and local events at their destination and translate any foreign language information.
During the four week pilot scheme, the benefits to consumers and the business will be evaluated ahead of a potential wider roll-out in the future.