Emirates has introduced 3D seat models on emirates.com. The 3D seat model is a visualisation engine that displays an immersive 360-degree view of the interior of the Emirates A380 and the Emirates Boeing 777, giving customers a chance to explore their seats, the cabin and the Emirates onboard services. Customers can navigate through the Economy, Business and First Class cabins, as well as the onboard lounge and shower spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots.

Alex Knigge, Emirates’ SVP corporate communications, marketing and brand (digital), said: “As we continually invest to provide our customers with an unmatched travel experience onboard and on the ground, we also work very hard to give our customers a world-class digital experience. We are pleased to be the world’s first airline to introduce this cutting-edge web VR technology, which offers our customers an immersive opportunity to learn more about the fantastic Emirates experience before they step on board. In our usability tests with customers, we found that they particularly appreciated the 3D seat and cabin models when selecting their seats.”

The immersive experience is available now for the three class Emirates A380 but will soon include renderings of Emirates’ entire fleet, including all configurations of the A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

The 360-degree views of the cabins also feature a virtual reality element for a more immersive experience. Users can enjoy hands-free cabin navigation and seat selection by using any VR headset without the need for external apps or plugins. The 3D seat models were created in partnership with Renacen.

Customers accessing emirates.com via their mobile devices or the Emirates app will also be able to explore their seats before checking in online with the 3D seat map. The tool allows customers to navigate from one seat to another, and even allows would-be customers to book their preferred seats from within the 3D environment.