AIRLINES are stepping up their initiatives in the race to the metaverse. But a new project announced by Vueling could genuinely transform travelers' habits when it comes to planning a trip, since the Spanish carrier plans to start selling tickets via this new sales channel.


Whether it's collecting NFTs, or virtually visiting cabins and testing first class seats, several airlines have already developed projects giving them a foot in the metaverse.


Take Qatar Airways, for example, and its 'MetaHuman' crew, inviting passengers to virtually visit the check-in area at Doha's Hamad International Airport. Such initiatives offer a fun way to try out this new parallel world, which many in the tourism, fashion, art and food sectors are seizing upon.


While all these projects open up a new field of business possibilities, and new ways of going about advertising and publicity, they still don't always seem tangible to the public at large. But there's something much more real about Vueling's freshly announced venture.


By the end of the year, travelers will not only have the usual online booking platform at their disposal to plan a trip. The Spanish carrier is planning to deploy a metaverse ticket purchasing system, in partnership with NextEarth, a global platform billed as the third-largest metaverse community.


As well as buying tickets in this metaverse, travelers will also be able to visualize their trip's impact on the planet. Thanks to an integrated app, developed by a shared mobility platform, users should be able to see the real-world carbon footprint of a given trip.


Earlier this month, the first NFT plane ticket was snapped up by a buyer for more than $1 million. Auctioned in the metaverse by Air Europa, this ticket was, in fact, an artwork giving the buyer access to a flight to Miami Beach, November 29, in business class. Nine other NFT tickets will be auctioned between June 1 and September 21 via the TravelX platform.