Dubai: Offering a peek into the future of flying, Emirates has released a video of its newly installed virtual windows aboard its Boeing 777 aircraft, and many social media users are popping with excitement.
The short clip, which was also shared by Dubai Media Office on Sunday, shows what the views are like when passengers sit in the middle of the plane along the aisle of the first-class cabin, the windowless part of the aircraft. Instead of real windows, the suite is now equipped with screens that mimic aircraft portholes.
Views from the First Class Virtual Windows in @emirates' Boeing 777 aircraft. pic.twitter.com/Dn7FGc1grm
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 24, 2018
Thanks to the real-time cameras mounted on the exterior of the aircraft, outside views are being projected onto the screens, making passengers feel like they’re sitting next to real windows.
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Many passengers have already experienced the virtual window technology since Emirates started introducing it recently. The airline first unveiled the brand-new cabins, with completely refreshed interiors, for its Boeing 777 fleet last November.
The cabins are fully enclosed and laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration, and feature virtual windows and zero-gravity seats.
The high-tech design was meant to make every seat in first class a window seat, but it 's also seen as the first step towards a much bigger plan to get rid of aircraft windows.
The airline’s president, Tim Clark, has recently hinted that the later generation passenger planes will be equipped with the same technology in order to make planes lighter and travel faster.
"Imagine now a fuselage as you’re boarding with no windows, but when you get inside, there are windows. Now you have one fuselage which has no structural weakness because of windows,” Clark said.
Reacting to the new innovative design, some social media users said they like the idea, but others said they prefer to continue flying the traditional way.
“Cool. I like the idea,” said one YouTube user. “I am going in an Emirates first class, can’t wait,” said another.
Those who oppose the idea, however, pointed out that they like sitting next to an actual window rather than monitors. “Please don’t do this because windows give a more realistic enjoyable view,” noted Shevan Gomis.
“Imagine looking down at the ground at an angle. Oh wait, you can’t, it’s a screen,” added Amith Babu.
“I don’t see windowless aircraft being the future. There are less places for light to go in so in the event there is a failure that requires passengers to rely no natural light, windows give it. Without windows, they’d have to navigate the plane in darkness,” noted another user.
Here's the original video posted by Emirates:
