No need to spend big—experience aviation VR “upgrades” and weightlessness “in space”

KLM’s VR uses a simple piece of cardboard to let budget airline passengers experience an upgrade. (Photo/Google Play screenshot)

A French aviation company transforms an Airbus into a spaceflight experience, where the aircraft enters zero-gravity after takeoff. (Photo provided by Shutterstock)

Want to upgrade your seat but lack the travel budget? Or dream of leaving Earth and experiencing zero gravity in space? Compared to the sky-high prices of space tourism packages, now you can achieve this without spending a fortune—with help from international airlines. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, ranked among the world’s top 10 safest airlines in 2017, recently launched a VR upgrade experience, allowing passengers to enjoy a premium service at a low-cost airline price. Meanwhile, a French aviation company has turned an Airbus into a zero-gravity plane that offers a weightless experience after takeoff, delivering thrills akin to a rollercoaster ride.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, ranked 5th in the 2017 list of the world’s top 10 safest airlines, has recently introduced a VR upgrade experience. Regardless of the flight taken, passengers can enjoy a “virtual upgrade” in service quality onboard, experiencing what it’s like to be on a KLM flight—even if they’re flying a budget airline. This includes access to in-flight newspapers, free entertainment, meals, and even the attentive service of cabin crew, helping travelers forget about the duration of the flight. Of course, this is also part of the airline’s marketing strategy to attract more passengers to experience premium services.

In addition, compared to the exorbitant costs of space tourism packages, the French aviation company Novespace previously developed a “zero-gravity plane,” transforming an Airbus into a space experience aircraft. Using the same flight angle technique employed by NASA to train astronauts, the plane achieves weightlessness, allowing each passenger to experience around 30 seconds of an out-of-this-world environment—for a price of about $5,000 per session, with part of the fee going toward research.