---
title: "Airline Tests VR Entertainment — But Only For First Class Passengers"
description: "British Airways is testing a range of new VR entertainment features for select first class flights between London's Heathrow airport and JFK in New York."
date: "2019-08-14"
modified: "2019-08-14"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/airline-vr-entertainment-first-class"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
  - "Virtual Reality"
tags:
  - "#airlines"
  - "british airways"
  - "the digest"
  - "virtual reality"
---

# Airline Tests VR Entertainment — But Only For First Class Passengers

![British Airways is testing a range of new VR entertainment features for select first class flights between London's Heathrow airport and JFK in New York.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/this-airline-is-testing-vr-entertainment-for-first-class-passengers.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: British Airways\</em\>*

## Peasant Blockers

In the near future, first class airline passengers won't even need to look at the poor proles in economy class as they file by during boarding.

British Airways is testing a range of new [virtual reality entertainment features](<https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/pressrelease/details/86/2019_319/11449>) for select first class flights between London Heathrow and JFK in New York, [*The Verge* reports](<https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20805331/british-airways-vr-headset-entertainment-flight-london-new-york-first-class?utm_campaign=theverge&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter>).

Passengers will be able to choose between a catalogue of 2D, 3D, and 360-degree movies, documentaries, and shows.

## Sky Light

But what if you want to nap in the middle of "Snakes on a Plane?" British Airways has you covered.

"The headsets from VR eyewear specialists, SkyLights, allow customers to fully immerse themselves in 3D view regardless of the position they are sat in," reads a [press release](<https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/pressrelease/details/86/2019_319/11449?ref=email>). "The experience even works when they are lying fully flat."

## Afraid and Nauseous

The trial also includes a special "range of therapeutic programmes, including guided meditation and sound therapy, specifically designed for customers who have a fear of flying," according to the release.

Other airlines, including [Qantas](<https://onemileatatime.com/qantas-introduces-ridiculous-first-class-inflight-entertainment/>) and [JetBlue](<https://www.theverge.com/ces/2017/1/3/14145492/verge-cardboard-vr-360-video-jetblue-ces-2017>), have tested out VR entertainment on some flights in the past. But the idea has yet to be cemented into a regular feature.

**READ MORE:** [British Airways is testing VR entertainment on select first class flights](<https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20805331/british-airways-vr-headset-entertainment-flight-london-new-york-first-class?utm_campaign=theverge&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter>) \[*The Verge*\]

**More on VR:** *[This Company Creates Virtual People for You to Fire in VR](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/vr-training-fire-virtual-people>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)