We’ve all experienced it at some point, you go to the airport looking forward to a nice relaxing holiday but before the chilling can begin you need to get there. The only trouble is that bag you thought was small enough to take on the plane isn’t. Either you’ve crammed it full, the airline has changed it policies or just bad luck you chose the wrong bag. That tends to mean putting it in the hold, paying a fee or worse both. Luckily travel search site Kayak has added a new augmented reality (AR) feature to its app to help prevent these stressful outcomes.
Available through the Kayak app for iOS devices – no Android support at the moment – users select the “new bag measurement tool.” After being prompted to scan the floor you then scan the bag by moving the camera around the object, with the app taking data points to calculate the size. The tool will alert you with the bag’s exact measurements so you know whether you can bring it on a flight as a carry-on, or if it needs to be checked.
Additionally, rather than having to take those measurements and check yourself against the airlines requirements the tool compares all airlines’ baggage policies in one place as well, hopefully making the entire process easy and straight forward, allowing you to enjoy that trip away.
It’s another great use of AR, with a feature that other companies have employed to help size furniture and other items for your home with the click of a button.
While this is the first time Kayak has employed AR to help travellers the company has previously embraced virtual reality (VR), launching a prototype travel app for Google Daydream called Kayak VR.
As both VR and AR become more commonly used within the travel industry VRFocus will keep you updated on the latest developments.
via Mint VR