Business class passengers flying Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow airport will be greeted by staffers wearing Google Glass or a Sony SmartWatch 2.
As a part of a new pilot program at Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic staff at the upper class wing — which is for business class passengers — will be wearing Google Glass or Sony's smartwatch to start the check-in process. They will also be able to update passengers on flight information, weather, translate foreign languages or inform them about local events happening at their destination.
The pilot program will last six weeks, but it could be rolled out on a larger scale in the near future, the company said.
"Our airport staff will be equipped with either Google Glass or a Sony SmartWatch 2, which is integrated to both a purpose-built dispatch app built by SITA and the Virgin Atlantic passenger service system," a Virgin Atlantic representative said. "The dispatch app manages all task allocation and concierge availability. It pushes individual passenger information directly to the assigned concierge’s smart glasses or watch just as the passenger arrives at the upper class wing."
Virgin Atlantic is also testing iBeacon technology with its Upper Class passengers at Heathrow, which allows iOS users to get discounts and flight updates while at the airport.
Virgin Atlantic has long been an early adopter when it comes to embracing technology. It was one of the first airlines to offer individual TVs to its business class passengers in the late 1980s.
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