On The Scene: an interview with Qatar Airways’ first metahuman cabin crew member
The Drum goes on the scene with Sama, the travel industry’s first metahuman cabin crew member, to explore Qatar Airways’ virtual metaverse experience QVerse.
Sama – the airline industry’s first metahuman cabin crew member from Qatar Airways
Earlier this year, Qatar Airways took to the skies with its metaverse debut QVerse – a digital, interactive customer experience that allows passengers to virtually tour and navigate Qatar Airways’ premium suite ahead of their next travel adventure, across desktop and mobile.
At the heart of the activation is Sama – the airline industry’s first metahuman cabin crew member – who is the first point of contact for visitors arriving in the QVerse. Sama adds a personal touch to the experience, guiding passengers through the cabin interior of the aircraft, including the airline’s award-winning Business Class Qsuite and Economy Class.
The Drum’s assistant editor Jenni Baker stepped on board the virtual experience and took some downtime with Sama between flights to learn more about how this virtual realm is transforming the customer experience, and future plans for the airline in this space. Watch here on The Drum TV.
Speaking at the launch, Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “With physical boundaries beginning to be challenged by the metaverse on an increasingly larger scale, it is exciting to embrace a technology that enables all travel enthusiasts to enjoy a unique immersive experience of our award-winning products and services.
“Our status as the first airline to introduce a metahuman cabin crew member is testament to our unwavering desire to innovate and delight our customers. We are constantly looking forward to adopting and introducing novel technologies that enhance our passengers’ complete journey.”
The experience was developed using Epic Games’ advanced 3D creation tool Unreal Engine and cloud-based app MetaHuman Creator to create high-fidelity humans.