Finnair offers 8 virtual flights to see Santa

The national flag carrier Finnair will offer eight ‘flights’ using Virtual Reality (VR) from 25 December to transport lucky families and children to visit Santa in his hometown of Rovaniemi, said a press release.

Finnair, which is Santa’s official airline, is using VR to offer clients an immersive 360-degree experience.

The flights are created by Finnish VR studio Zoan with one of the most advanced real-time 3D graphics tools, Unreal Engine.

The customers can enjoy the flights on their mobile phones or laptops where they will experience the thrill of sitting in Finnair’s comfortable Nordic Business Class.

Clients can enjoy refreshments served by cabin crew, admire the starry skies, and gaze upon the dramatic northern lights from their ‘seats’.

The VR experience will also offer familiar flight soundscapes, festive decorations, and perhaps even a glimpse of a familiar festive figure sitting in one of the other seats!

After landing in the wintry city of Rovaniemi, customers will be able to cross the Arctic Circle and enter Santa’s cabin to meet Santa Claus himself.

Each of the eight VR flights to Lapland will last about 30 minutes and cost just €10 per person.

Seats can be reserved from the Finnair Shop. Besides experiencing something wonderfully festive, the lucky customers who board the virtual flights will also be giving something towards those who are less fortunate and need help.

All proceeds will go to supporting UNICEF’s work to slow the spread of COVID-19 and minimise the pandemic’s impact on children across the world.

“Thanks to the magic of Virtual Reality, Finnair can ‘fly’ families to Rovaniemi in Lapland, despite the travel restrictions, to enjoy a winter wonderland and meet Santa. I hope this brings a big smile to the participants,” said Finnair Global Sales Vice-President Mikko Turtiainen.

The lack of high-quality content offerings has been one of the biggest barriers to mainstream adoption of VR technologies, but Finnair has been pioneering VR since 2016.

It first used VR to showcase its Airbus A350 cabin experience at industry events with specially provided headsets.

English will be the lone language used in the flights.