As part of a wide-ranging collaboration with global IT provider SITA, Virgin Atlantic is exploring the use of innovative training technology that allows the airline’s cabin crew to use augmented reality (AR) to familiarize themselves with new aircraft.

Using an iOS app, cabin crew use AR to walk through and acquaint themselves with the layout of Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft without even visiting the airport or getting onto the plane.

To complement the existing classroom-based training, this app allows crew members to see the cabin projected as a portal in front of them and are able ‘walk into’ the cabin. The AR app simulates the full-size view of the cabin interior, giving crew a feel for their new working environment.

SITA's strategic technology research arm, SITA Lab, is working with Virgin Atlantic to identify and test promising applications for AR in the air transport industry, ranging from sales, training, operations and improvement to the passenger experience.