While air travel has been the norm for decades now, flying nerves are still quite prevalent among many travelers. In an effort to combat these flying nerves Virgin Australia is introducing meditation as a new focus on the flyers well-being. According to Virgin founder Richard Branson, "I am so excited to see Virgin Australia deeply embedding mindfulness into the workplace and onboard flights." The first meditation-dedicated flight launched on October 11th, 2018, and was done in partnership with Smiling Mind, an Australian-based well-being and mindfulness meditation company.
To allow for a meditative space and to end flying nerves, Virgin Australia will introduce meditation programming on its entertainment systems and will allow travelers to identify themselves as anxious flyers. The airline will then send those flyers calming communications before the flight and support them during airtime.
Image Credit: Virgin Australia
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Mindful Flying
- Other airlines can pilot a mindful flying program by partnering with meditation companies, developing meditation programming, and sending calming communications to anxious flyers.
- Wellness Entertainment
- Other entertainment companies can incorporate wellness programming to align with the mindful flying trend.
- Personalized Customer Support
- Other industries can create personalized customer support experiences to address individual customer needs and preferences.
Where This Applies
- Airlines
- Airlines can disrupt the travel industry by incorporating wellness and mindfulness programs to improve customer satisfaction and combat flying nerves.
- Meditation Companies
- Meditation companies can benefit from partnering with airlines to provide their services and expand their customer base.
- Entertainment Companies
- Entertainment companies can incorporate wellness programming, such as meditation, into their products and services to align with the growing interest in mindfulness and well-being.
