Begum KhalidaFasten your seatbelts and your virtual reality headsets for a flight…that never takes off. Sounds bizarre? But many Japanese are opting for just that!
In an increasingly busy world, many no longer have the time to even plan for a holiday, let alone go on one itself! Japan’s First Airlines, however, has just come up with a solution that could potentially solve that. The carrier offers virtual reality flights – allowing consumers to travel to places like New York and Hawaii without having to take off at all.
Image credit: First Airlines
The carrier caters towards customers who have hectic schedules and are unable to set time aside for trips, customers who have budget restraints as well as the older demographic who are not able to travel as actively. Apart from having an in-flight experience that mimics the services of a real plane, First Airlines has produced virtual reality tours of many countries, including New York, Paris and Rome.
Picture credit: First Airlines
The faux cabins, that are very similar to their real-life counterparts, offer class sections at different prices, with first class seats going at 4,980 yen (~S$61) and business class at 5,980 yen (~S$73). Both price points are still a small fraction of the total cost it may take to actually travel to the country of choice.
Complete with facilities such as state-of-the-art flight seats used in the actual aircraft, television sets and fake windows featuring the “scene outside” of the plane, the fake cabin emulates an Airbus A310 well.
Picture credit: First Airlines
The 2-hour package also serves up “in-flight” meals with destination-specific cuisines. For instance, travellers to Italy get to savour saltimbocca (veal wrapped in prosciutto and sage) with foie gras (goose liver) whereas those who are France-bound can get to enjoy salmon tartar with basil sauce and caviar.
With a range of menu items and places to travel to, Japan’s First Airline is a hit among its domestic “travellers”. If you want in on their unique virtual travel experience, you can book your reservations with First Airlines here.
