Alaska is the first airline in North America testing in-flight virtual reality headsets



SEATTLE -- Alaska Airlines is testing virtual reality headsets this week on select flights between Boston and Seattle and Boston and San Diego.

The trial is only available to first-class passengers on 10 flights from Sept. 23-27.

The airline partnered with French company SkyLights to test the new headsets as a potential in-flight entertainment option. It's the first airline in North America to test VR at 35,000 feet.

"Wearing the headset is comparable to having a personal movie screen in front of you," Alaska Air said in a news release. "When paired with noise-cancelling headphones, it’s easy to feel like you’re at the movie theater instead of flying."

If you're a first-class passenger on board one of the 10 trial flights, you'll be able to choose from several 2D and 3D movies, as well as 360-degree "immersive experiences that let guests explore different worlds by just slowly moving their head around."