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Meta Quest 3 Virtual Reality Headsets Are Coming to Airlines

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On April 10, 2025

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Summary

Meta pilots Meta Quest 3 on Lufthansa flights, with positive feedback and plans to expand to more airlines.
Meta Quest’s Travel Mode on planes allows users to engage with immersive experiences during flights.
Meta Quest’s success on Lufthansa flights earns them a Best Inflight Entertainment award and paves the way for future expansions.

Meta is celebrating the success it’s seen with an early pilot program of bringing the Meta Quest 3 to Lufthansa flights, and it’s now planning on expanding the program to more airlines. The unique opportunity gives passengers who are bored on a flight something immersive and exciting to engage in, while also introducing Meta Quest to more potential customers.

Meta Quest headsets got Travel Mode in 2024, which allows the device to be used even when the user is a passenger on a plane or train. Since the Meta Quest 3 is both a virtual reality and mixed reality headset, users can stay in-tune with their surroundings or completely block them out depending on the experience they engage in. The Meta Quest’s hand tracking also makes it easy to use the device without having to fuss over external controllers that can get dropped. While some Meta Quest enthusiasts have traveled with the device already, having one handed out on a flight is a unique experience.

half life alyx city 17 section working on meta quest 3

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Such has been the case for Lufthansa fliers, of which nearly 4,000 have now tried out the Meta Quest 3 while flying. Both Lufthansa and Meta seem to be pleased with their partnership, with users’ feedback being “overwhelmingly positive,” according to Björn Becker of Lufthansa Group. The idea has been so well-received that Meta, Lufthansa, and developer MSM.digital were the recipients of the 2025 APEX award for Best Inflight Entertainment. Meta exec Sarah Malkin said that the company sees this as a “pivotal moment” in the development of Meta Quest’s Travel Mode, and Meta is working on expanding the offering to more airlines, though she didn’t specify which.

As most who have been on long flights can attest to, being stuck in a small space for so long can be boring and exhausting. Putting on a VR headset instantly transports users outside of their physical space, tricking the mind into thinking that what’s being seen through the screen is actually happening around the user. Through the Meta Quest Travel Mode, passengers can potentially remain entertained and content on long-haul trips. However, it also gives those who might not have ever considered using a VR headset a chance to try one. VR fans sometimes point out that when it comes to VR, seeing is believing, as no amount of description can do justice to the moment of feeling like one’s transported to an entirely different place.

While not explicitly stated, it’s likely that if the Meta Quest 3 arrives on additional airlines, they’ll likely be made available for those sitting in the more expensive business or first-class seats. However, the Meta Quest and the lower-priced Meta Quest 3S, are fairly affordable devices, so even those in economy can potentially bring one to enjoy for themselves.