Reality glasses to boost Emirates’ customer service

EMIRATES, hoping to shake off budget airlines coveting its long-distance customers, has set its sights on goggles.

The Gulf carrier is studying ways to equip staff with augmented reality glasses that display a passenger’s name and travel habits, allowing more personalised service, Emirates’ chief digital and innovation officer Christoph Mueller said. Travelers may also be given eye-wear to help them navigate airports or browse food menus.

“We could enhance customer service tremendously,” said Mueller, who was appointed last year to help modernise the world’s biggest long-haul airline. “The consumer will want to interact in a completely different way.”

Emirates President Tim Clark has warned the company faces a “gathering storm” from budget rivals such as Norwegian Air Shuttle, which are expanding their north-Atlantic routes and threatening to erode the Gulf carrier’s market leadership. State-backed Emirates, which helped unseat western mainline carriers years ago with bigger planes boasting swanky bars and on board showers, is now betting an investment in new technology can help it stay ahead.

Augmented reality, available on gadgets such as Microsoft’s HoloLens headset and Apple iPhones, is gaining traction. – Bloomberg