For someone who can’t stand airplanes, I take a ridiculous amount of flights. They’re cramped, a little dirty, and being tied to a cabin full of strangers can be terribly overstimulating. While I’ve tried dozens of methods to make flying more enjoyable, nothing has helped me relax in the air as much as the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple’s $3,500 mixed reality headset may seem like an expensive solution to flight anxiety, but I wanted to know if it’s better than buying a business class ticket every trip for convenience reasons. I booked a coach trip for a round trip from New York to Barcelona and brought my Vision Pro to evaluate its true value as a travel companion.
As a result, I spent 8,000 miles and the better part of 14 hours using the space computer. While I found that the headphones successfully helped me escape common airplane annoyances, there are a few things I wish I knew more about beforehand. They say you learn by doing, so let’s say I did it for you: “wearing Apple Vision Pro on a flight.” Here’s what I think you can expect based on my experience.
It is important to pack smartly
Wrapped in a cloud-like case, the Vision Pro is suddenly the size of a personal item. Depending on your ticket, you may need to be smart about packing. I was able to fit the case inside my backpack, although at the expense of the huge stash of snacks I usually carry. I kept a few other items that I keep in my backpack in my pockets and in my trash suitcase that I overheard.
It’s also important to bring a USB-C charging cable and a USB-C power adapter with your headphones. Since the battery life is 2.5 hours for watching movies and my flights were much longer, I made sure to request a power outlet and kept the battery plugged into the charger throughout the trip.
The mode of travel is not negotiable
Once I was situated in my seat, I got ready and prepared my headphones for takeoff. Luckily, I had the open middle seat next to me on both flights, so I strapped the case on. Otherwise, I would have left it in my bag stored under the seat in front of me until we were in the air. Apple recommends waiting until the takeoff process is complete to use Vision Pro for safety reasons.
You can’t necessarily use your Vision Pro on a moving plane the same way you would at home. Travel Mode for Apple Vision Pro is a setting that adapts and optimizes the headphones specifically for use during flights. The moment I turned on my headphones, it asked me to enable travel mode, although you can manually turn it on or off in the control center at any time. I tried turning it off just to see if it made a difference, but it was a mistake. Without travel mode, every little bump or jolt of the plane is like it’s in your eyes. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, so I’ll be sure to use Travel Mode in the future.
Inflight entertainment has been shamed
What can someone do with a virtual reality headset and spend hours? A movie marathon is the only correct answer. Normally, I watch downloaded TV shows on my iPad mini on the air, but the 8.3-inch screen isn’t exactly ideal for blockbuster movies. But now that I had Vision Pro, I could watch all my favorite movies on the equivalent of a 100-foot-wide screen.
There are still some major streaming apps missing from the visionOS catalog, but between Disney Plus, Apple TV, and Max, I wasn’t missing content. I spent most of my flights enthralled by the 3D-rendered versions of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Being able to watch these films in stunning detail, certain scenes moved me in a way I didn’t even feel in the theater. When Finn and Poe Dameron reunite at the rebel base after being presumed dead, I burst into tears, which my Vision Pro’s light seal subsequently absorbed.
However, the best part was watching these movies in the integrated Disney Plus environments. After seeing all the action from a speeder on Tatooine, I don’t think I could see Star Wars any other way. But most importantly, I felt completely disconnected from being on a plane. With the environment fully on and my AirPods Pro 2 blocking the sound, I might as well have been sitting at my own desk at home. For a few hours at a time, I would forget I was on a plane and it was magical.
Not made for red eyes.
One of my legs for this trip took off in the afternoon in New York and landed in Barcelona in the morning. Commonly known as red-eye, these types of overnight flights are set up to help you get a few hours of sleep before a full day ahead at your destination. If your goal is to get as much sleep as possible during your flight, I recommend leaving the Apple Vision Pro at home.
For one thing, it’s not really possible to sleep comfortably while using the Vision Pro, at least not in a mostly upright seat. The weight of the headphones is alleviated by switching to the Dual Loop Band, but it’s still very obvious that something is strapped to your face. Also, when I tried to snuggle up against a window, I blocked one side of the headset cameras, causing the movie to stop. This is a necessary safety feature, but also a statement that it’s impractical to use Vision Pro when you’re trying to get a good night’s rest.
Flying with Apple Vision Pro: would I do it again?
So as long as I don’t get red-eyes, the Vision Pro will accompany me on flights for the foreseeable future. Now that I’ve learned what to expect from a packing perspective and am familiar with travel mode, I feel like an expert at traveling with Apple headphones.
The only thing that would make it better is if it had a few more streaming apps to access. Don’t get me wrong, I can watch the entire Star Wars catalog over and over again and never get tired of it. But more options would improve the quality of the entire experience. Hopefully, apps like Netflix and Hulu will come to visionOS not too far away, making the Vision Pro more valuable overall. Meanwhile, the ability to switch off the rest of the cabin with a twist of the digital crown is priceless, if you ask me.
- Apple Vision Pro visionOS 1.1 update is now available
- Apple Vision Pro is missing the one thing that made the iPhone a success
- I’ve been testing Apple Vision Pro for 3 weeks: here are the pros and cons
