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MOST people board a plane in the hope of reaching a different destination from where they take off. Sometimes delays mean you are sat on the runway for hours twiddling your thumbs. But a technology firm in Tokyo is offering this experience – and people are paying for it.
Twelve passengers recently strapped into the simulator and relaxed in the comfort of first and business class cabins. A four-course fine-dining experience was then served – with wine – and enjoyed by passengers, before cabin crew gave a realistic safety announcement.
A guest eats a meal at the First Airlines virtual first-class airline experience facility in Tokyo, Japan. Source: Reuters/Toru Hanai
Passengers then put on the high-tech virtual reality headsets and virtually flew to Paris to explore the city’s sites.
“A real trip is a hassle to prepare for, and expensive, and takes time. So I think it is good that we can enjoy all this hassle-free,” Takashi Sakano, 39, who was on his first VR trip told The Guardian.
This particular trip costs a whimsical JPY6,600 (US$62), which isn’t a speck on the cost of an actual trip from Tokyo to Paris.
Passengers can also fly to Rome, Hawaii and New York on these “flights”. With the experience lasting a convenient two hours and costing a fraction of the usual cost, it is easy to see why they have been fully booked since the company opened in 2016.
“We have lots of elderly customers who want to go overseas but are not able to easily, given their physical limitations,” said Hiroaki Abe, the company’s representative.
The company also announced domestic routes around Japan will be available soon and the dishes served during the experience will be a reflection of the local cuisine in the destinations.
The post Tokyo to Paris in two hours is now virtually possible appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com