Fast glass

Jarring looks aside (and Glass will surely shrink to unobtrusiveness within the decade), Glass has been the solution to a non-existent problem.

And Virgin’s stated use case – to have the Upper Class Wing concierge team greet you personally – is a problem that doesn’t need fixing.

You ring the Upper Class Wing hotline with your flight details, ETA and the numberplate (in local parlance) of your car in advance of your arrival.

Your driver pulls up to a set of bollards and gives them your details.

Since the Wing is airside, being buzzed through the bollards is a security requirement, but the brief delay and the drive up the ramp to the doors also provide the Wing’s three-to-four person team with a 25 second gap between being notified of your arrival and opening the car door for you to greet you by name. (I timed it last time I passed through the Wing in January. ) As you walk through the doors of what feels like a business hotel lobby the staff are checking your passport, handing over your boarding pass and taking your luggage. You could easily not stop walking until it’s laptops out at the private security channel on the other side of the lobby. Three minutes after clearing security, you’re in the Clubhouse ready to enjoy a drink.

It’s difficult to see how Glass could make this process any more streamlined or personalised. They know which car is yours, so they know who you are. They have your boarding pass printed. They could surely give you some information on the weather from their existing computers or a tablet. (Virgin’s relatively small network means that there aren’t that many flights for different parts of the world leaving at the same time. ) So is Google Glass a flashy gimmick or a Big Brother style invasion of privacy? Perhaps neither. Wearable technology like Google Glass, Pebble and Samsung Gear (the latter two are smartwatches that add functionality options to your phone) is likely the next step in the mobile world. And that step marches in time with technological trends in aviation too.

Consider the Qantas RFID-based Q Bag Tag. The airline could implement RFID scanners as, say, you walk through the corridor to the lounge in Sydney. Your tag identifies you and you’re welcomed by the desk staffers.

It doesn’t have to be just the tag, of course. Airlines already push notifications to your phone by SMS, email and in their apps. Apple’s iBeacon technology – really just a rebranding of the Bluetooth Low Energy standard – means that your airline can notify you of something as you pass

Since airline apps are in wide use for electronic boarding passes, the options are vast.

by a beacon attached to a wall or desk. Since airline apps are in wide use for electronic boarding passes, the options are vast.

Virgin Australia could remind infrequent premium travellers walking into the main terminal area at its Sydney domestic home about its kerbside Premium Entry option. Dawdling passengers could be spotted and urged to leg it down the terminal with a series of customised messages. Travellers from overseas arriving at the international terminal for a domestic flight can be given specific information on how to find their way – the right information, at the right time, to the right passenger. That kind of location-based notification is already possible with Apple’s Passbook.

At Heathrow, the Positive Boarding scheme requires passengers to scan their boarding pass to progress past various gates in the departure process. Cutting it fine? You’ll get a message to get your skates on. Definitely won’t make it? You’ll be sent back for rebooking, and the airline is instantly notified to offload your bags.

Now start combining the technologies. Glass-wearing concierges have been notified by the beacon in your baggage tag or smartphone that it’s you coming up the escalator. They greet you at the top rather than sitting behind a desk and pointing you along the way. They’re notified that you’re in seat 15D but that 2D is available. Yes, they’ve upgraded you. Escorting you to a table, they leave you in the hands of a lounge staffer whose smartwatch has notified them of your flavour and taste profile from previous visits and the information from the airline’s wine and restaurant clubs. A few taps on their wrist and your order is in the kitchen and the bar.

Make it an “opt in for a smoother experience” and you’ve got the difference between Big Brother snooping and useful personalisation.