Bringing the Apple Vision Pro on a long-haul trans-Pacific flight might have sounded ridiculous to friends when I was packing in San Diego. But the 16-plus hours back to Singapore with a short layover in San Francisco gives me plenty of time to watch movies, clear emails, and generally question my life choices somewhere over the world’s biggest ocean. So I threw common sense into the wind and thought, why not try a spatial computing headset mid-flight?
Reality only hit once I boarded the Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft and looked around, where only Business and Premium Economy classes are available on this flight (SQ 33). I didn’t get to fly on the former, but Premium Economy is pretty much comfortable compared to standard Economy, yes, but it’s still a shared cabin. Not exactly the sort of place where you can casually put on a Vision Pro headset without attracting at least a few curious glances.
Thankfully, I had one of the single Premium Economy seats by the window – the kind solo travellers like me quietly celebrate. That extra elbow room turned out to be critical because there are no accidental headset bumps, and no worrying about leaning into someone else’s personal space. Just enough breathing room to actually try this without feeling awkward every five minutes.
And honestly? Once the headset went on, the flight experience shifted way more than I expected.
A private cinema experience
Premium Economy (on Singapore Airlines at least), seems to be the sweet spot to use the Vision Pro.
Photo: HWZ
Let’s start with the obvious use case: entertainment. Singapore Airlines already does in-flight entertainment very well. KrisWorld has a fine catalogue better than most airlines, and the Premium Economy screens’ output is large and sharp.
But Vision Pro changes how content feels rather than just how it looks.
Instead of staring at a seatback display, it becomes your own floating screen. You can size it how you like, position it comfortably, and – crucially – block out the cabin clutter. Meal carts rattling past, overhead announcements, someone negotiating aggressively with their blanket behind you…well, you won’t see them.
It doesn’t isolate you completely though, which is actually good on a plane. Especially if there’s an emergency (touch wood). You still hear announcements and catch movement. But mentally at least, it’s closer to watching something at home than in row 33.
