Taking the Scenic Route: Japan Airlines Offers Views of Mt. Fuji From 35,000 Feet
Share
APEX Insight: Why should passengers wait until landing to don their tourist hats? Japan Airlines turns a frequently asked question about the seat that offers the best view of Mt. Fuji into a booking incentive, allowing travelers to start their travel experience at cruising altitude.
Nature deserves an audience, especially when every factor – weather, time and location – falls into place. This was the case in February when a Delta Air Lines pilot gave a spontaneous tour of the Grand Canyon, and again in March when Alaska Airlines delayed a flight from Anchorage to Honolulu to offer passengers a backstage pass to the “path of totality,” the lunar shadow traced onto the sun during a total solar eclipse.
“We received as many as 100 customer inquiries per month from customers in Japan and overseas regarding the question ‘Which cabin seat has a view of Mt. Fuji?'” – Jian Yang, Japan Airlines
And a recent initiative of Japan Airlines (JAL) turns window-seat sightseeing into more than a one-off opportunity. Launched in May, the airline’s microsite “Which Side Is Mt. Fuji?” answers that very question, informing passengers which side of the aircraft – on any given domestic flight – affords the most picturesque view of Japan’s crown jewel. “Before the launch of the service,” says Jian Yang, a JAL spokesperson, “we received as many as 100 customer inquiries per month from customers in Japan and overseas regarding the question ‘Which cabin seat has a view of Mt. Fuji?’ We decided to introduce the information service to meet our customers’ needs and interests.”
As JAL works to ensure the vantage point at 35,000 feet isn’t squandered, tech companies, such as Vision Systems Aeronautics, are developing new ways to augment the onboard tourist experience. The company’s Acti-Vision Window, a transparent OLED video display and touch screen that can be overlaid onto an aircraft window, presents the possibility of displaying visual sightseeing markers and textual or visual accompaniment directly onto the porthole glass.
Meanwhile, virtual reality platform startup Trillenium has conceived of technology that would nix windows altogether, replacing them with a 360-degree immersive experience that captures video feed from the external cameras of the aircraft to someday give passengers the impression of flying without the constraint of fuselage walls. And if Airbus’ Concept Cabin ever comes to fruition, stargazers and umbraphiles can revel in a multi-windowed observation deck that gives way to a panorama of the sky.
“Taking the Scenic Route” was originally published in the October/November issue of APEX Experience magazine.