Published on: April 8, 2025 / update from: April 8, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Lufthansa Flight VR | Virtual Reality on the way to the mainstream: The importance of extended reality on Lufthansa flights-creative image: xpert.digital
4,000 users convinced: Virtual Reality conquers the air
From the niche to the mainstream: Meta Quest 3 VR on long -haul flights in the test
The use of Meta Quest 3 on Lufthansa long-haul flights shows a significant step in the commercial use of virtual reality technology. With almost 4,000 passengers that have already used this technology, the question arises: Does this development market the transition from VR from the niche product to the mainstream medium?
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The Lufthansa Meta partnership: a milestone for VR
Cooperation between Lufthansa and Meta represents a significant development in the area of the in-flight entertainment. As part of a pilot program, Lufthansa states selected flights with META Quest 3 headsets that are provided with passengers in the Allegris Business Class Suite. The offer includes various entertainment options such as films on virtual screens, virtual tours of new travel destinations, interactive games such as four wins and chess and meditation exercises for relaxation.
It is noteworthy that the user statistics are already promising: Almost 4,000 travelers have so far used the service, and according to Bjoern Becker, Program Lead Future Intercont Experience at Lufthansa Group, the feedback is consistently positive. This high acceptance rate indicates a growing willingness to use VR technology in everyday situations.
Cooperation with Cupra, which led to the first in-flight test trip app, is particularly innovative. Passengers can virtually configure the e-car Cupra Tavascan and take a test drive through the streets of Barcelona. For this service, Lufthansa, Meta and the developer MSM.Digital received the Apex Award 2025 for the best in-flight entertainment.
Technological developments as pioneers
An essential factor that made it possible to use VR on flights is the development of the “Travel Mode” for Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3. This is an experimental feature that has been available since 2024 and the algorithms specifically match the movements of an aircraft. This technological adaptation ensures a stable VR experience-even if the user looks out of the aircraft window.
The Travel Mode is currently only optimized for aircraft, but Meta plans to expand support for other means of transport such as trains. It is noteworthy that this function was not developed exclusively for the Lufthansa partnership, but is available for all owners of a Quest 2 or Quest 3 in the experimental features menu. This is shown by Meta's strategy to promote VR use in everyday situations and thus open up a broader user.
Historical perspective: VR in aviation
The current development is not the first attempt to establish VR in aviation. As early as 2015, the Australian airline Qantas tested the use of Samsung Gear VR for first-class passengers. Other airlines such as Air France, Iberia, British Airways and Singapore Airlines also experimented with VR headset pilot programs, which were all set.
Lufthansa itself has a long story with virtual reality. In 2014, the VR company already integrated into various business processes and published a VR app for Google Cardboard in 2017. The use of VR in pilot training was particularly successful, where the technology is used to prepare for overland flights and demonstrably led to an increase in performance of 15% for flight students.
The decisive difference to previous VR applications in aviation lies in the advanced technology of META Quest 3, which not only offers pure VR but also mixed reality, as well as in the special adaptation to the movements of the aircraft through the travel fashion.
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Market development and future prospects
The current market development indicates exponential growth in the VR area. The VR market was estimated at $ 16.32 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow from USD 20.83 billion to an impressive $ 123.06 billion to 2032 in 2025, with an expected annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.9%.
Meta plans to extend the service to other airlines and routes in the near future. The success of the partnership with Lufthansa serves as a blueprint for future collaborations in the field of immersive in-flight entertainment.
In addition to aviation, VR is used in various industries, including training, engineering, maintenance, marketing, design and simulations. This versatility is another indication of the growing mainstream acceptance of VR technology.
Virtual reality above the clouds: Lufthansa shows the future
The use of VR headsets on Lufthansa flights indicates increasing acceptance of the technology, but with restrictions. It should be noted that the offer has so far been limited to business class, which does not correspond to the typical mainstream use.
Nevertheless, several factors show in the direction of mainstream:
- The positive response of almost 4,000 passengers on the VR offer of Lufthansa
- The forecast market growth at over $ 123 billion by 2032
- The continuous further development of technology with specific adjustments for different usage scenarios
- The expansion of the areas of application beyond pure entertainment to training, education and professional applications
From the niche to the trend: VR with Meta Quest 3 on Lufthansa flights
The use of Meta Quest 3 on Lufthansa flights represents a significant milestone for VR in the mainstream, albeit with certain restrictions. The high number of users and the positive feedback indicate increasing acceptance of the technology. The continuous technological development, the forecast market growth and the diverse areas of application support the thesis that VR is on the way to becoming a mainstream medium from the niche product.
Although we cannot yet speak of a complete mainstream adoption, this development shows a clear trend in this direction. The spread of VR in an everyday context such as air travel marks an important step in this way and could look back as one of the crucial moments in the history of virtual reality.
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