Excursions, dancing, massage: 8 of the most unexpected airline services

To make the trip comfortable and memorable, some carriers arrange city tours for passengers awaiting a connecting flight, and massage the tired passengers on board. And this is far from the most surprising, reports RBC.

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Every day, thousands of flights are made in the world. On flights longer than 4 hours, time is slow, not everyone can fall asleep, and random companions do not always share each other's interests and desires. How to be? For example, you can choose a Facebook account neighbor, enjoy Hawaiian dances performed by stewardesses, or watch a festival movie. The main thing is to know who to book a ticket with.

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Facebook Neighbor

Flying alone is always a lottery. You never know who will be sitting in the next chair. At the same time, a bad companion can spoil not only the mood, but also the impression of the trip. To prevent this scenario, the Dutch airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers to pre-select neighbors. In 2012, she launched the Meet and Seat service, which allows Internet users to find interesting fellow travelers on board and book tickets at nearby places. This can be done in the "My trip" section when registering for a flight. If you log in to the company’s website through your Facebook or LinkedIn account, you will gain access to the profiles of other passengers on the flight and see their seats. You can change the place only if at least an hour is left before departure.

Docking tour

Does connecting flight take more than 5 hours? Spend time usefully - go on a city tour. For transit passengers, some airlines conduct fascinating sightseeing tours that take 2,5 hours. You can book directly at the airport no later than an hour before the start or preliminarily on the airline’s website. Singapore Airlines offers two free Singapore tours, a daytime Heritage and an evening City Lights. Turkish Airlines passengers in Istanbul are shown Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce and Topkapi palaces. Qatar Airways organizes interesting tours at an additional cost. For example, for $ 20 you will be taken to the four main attractions of Doha - the ethnographic village, the island of Pearl of Qatar, the Suk-Wakif market and the Museum of Islamic Art.

Side nanny

When traveling with a small child, you can ask the flight attendant to sit with the baby if you need to go away for a short time. This is a standard service. The national airline of the UAE went further. Since September 2013, Etihad Airways has been providing free long-distance flight nanny passengers for free. Girls in bright orange aprons feed and entertain the kids on board the aircraft. In their arsenal there is face painting, colored paper for origami, puppet theater, children's films, books and board games. Nannies study at the English College of Norland, specializing in raising preschool children. Only those flight attendants who have worked at Etihad Airways for at least six months and successfully passed the interview can take retraining courses.

Hawaiian dancing in a bikini

VietJet Air employees figured out how to entertain passengers. Instead of the usual uniform of a Vietnamese low-cost airline stewardess, they are dressed in red and yellow bikinis. Moreover, they are responsible not only for flight safety - in the middle of the journey, the girls perform a three-minute Hawaiian dance and give out teddy bears to passengers. True, this does not happen on everyone, but only on special flights: because of the show, VietJet Air had to pay several large fines. Despite this, bold PR stunts helped CEO Nguyen Thi Fuong Tao to become the country's first female billionaire. By the way, to see Asian conductors in a bikini, it is not necessary to book a ticket to Vietnam. Instead, you can browse through the annual VietJet Air calendar.

Chat on board

Is a handsome stranger from your departure zone sitting far away from you? Or have family members been seated in different parts of the plane? At American airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines have taken care of customers who want to stay in touch with other companions. They developed a free messaging system that allows passengers on the same flight to correspond directly during the flight. You can communicate in both personal and group chat. To do this, just connect to the aircraft’s Wi-Fi and open the browser on the smartphone. By the way, not only text messages can be sent through this network. If you want to attract the attention of a person you like, treat him with something tasty. Order a drink or meal using the system and select the place where you want to deliver the treats.

Massage with voucher

Another unusual and pleasant service is massage of the hands, legs and neck. It is available to all economy class passengers on short Air Malta flights. And it’s absolutely free. While massage therapists work, travelers listen to relaxing music. Sky Spa service was launched in 2015 thanks to the partnership of the airline with the local spa brand Myoka Spas. In addition to massage, all passengers receive cosmetic probes and vouchers for salon visits at € 20. According to managers, the service is aimed at improving the quality of service and marks the beginning of a series of such experiments.

Fasten your seat belts, remove the pillows

Flights in an economy class cabin can also be comfortable, Air New Zealand employees say. For those who want to get enough sleep during a long trip, there is a great solution. The airline offers to buy three Skycouch seats. They are equipped with special footrests, with the help of which they are transformed into a berth. According to the air carrier, the mini-sofa is perfect not only for sleeping, but also for children's games. Skycouch seats are located in the front rows of the economy class. For passengers who book three seats at once, an additional discount is provided.

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In-flight film festival

For passengers who are accustomed to controlling any situation, the carrier United Airlines in the early 2000s allowed to eavesdrop on negotiations between pilots and controllers. To do this, it was necessary to connect headphones to the back of the chair and tune the receiver to channel 9. Today, entertainment is much more interesting and safe: Vevo curator playlists, the HBO catalog and documentary and short films from the Tribeca festival are at the service of passengers.

ForumDaily previously wrote about the most incredible privileges from airlines:

• First class on the Emirates A380: the price includes not just a shower, but a full-fledged shower. You can also freshen up with the exclusive Emirates Private Collection from Bvlgari.
• Singapore Airlines SilverKris Loung - it's like "Home away from home". The lounge features tastefully selected works of art, individually designed booths that allow you to work in privacy and comfort, as well as gourmet food and drinks.
• Virgin Atlantic Upper Class transfer service: a car to the gate is one thing, but Virgin Atlantic takes this service to a new level, offering premium passengers a trip to and from the airport. “You will enjoy the luxury of top-class travel from the moment we pick you up to the moment we deliver you to your destination,” the airline said. “No stress, no fuss.”

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