Qatar Airways’ QVerse, a novel virtual reality (VR) experience for visitors to the airline’s website, has been declared a winner in the FTE Airline Pioneer Awards category at the recent Future Travel Experience Global 2022 Awards ceremony.

The experience allows users to virtually tour and navigate different aspects of the travel experience – including the Premium check-in area at Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways' cabin interiors – by using their own personal electronic devices.

Meanwhile, the 3D metahuman cabin crew offers an interactive customer experience through engagement with the user, presenting the unique features in both the carrier’s Business and Economy Class cabins.

Meanwhile, iGA Istanbul Airport secured an FTE Airport Pioneer Award for its artificial intelligence and metaverse exploration efforts. Aiming to transform the time spent at Istanbul Airport, iGA introduced a new service featuring Augmented Reality (AR) technology, providing passengers with information about the airport’s retail outlets by accompanying them around the International Terminal shopping area.

The AR technology allows users to see objects virtually and in 3D providing an interactive real-world environment. The airport is also tapping into the metaverse by creating a metaverse environment, which is a replica of its “Youth Lounge”.

Other FTE Award winners:

•    Miami International Airport (MIA) was recognised in the FTE Airport Pioneer Awards category for its efforts to implement biometric boarding at more than 130 gates throughout the airport.
•    Edmonton International Airport (EIA) was awarded for its recent partnership with ZeroAvia to develop the hydrogen infrastructure required for delivering zero-emission flights and decarbonising ground operations.
•    Delta Air Lines grabbed an FTE Airline Pioneer Awards trophy for its PARALLEL REALITY experience, which recently launched for departing and connecting Delta customers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
•    Air Europa was recognised for becoming the first airline to adopt blockchain technology for inventory management and distribution.
•    ThorDrive was named the winner of the inaugural FTE Startup Idol Award, delivered with the official support of JetBlue Technology Ventures.
•    IDEMIA won the Best Exhibitor Presence Award, in recognition of the company’s impressive showcase and activities at FTE Global. – TradeArabia News Service