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19 Mar, 2014

Airlines use technology to keep tabs on you | GulfNews.com

London: As the door of his limousine opened outside Virgin Atlantic’s business class lounge at Heathrow Airport one recent afternoon, Declan Jones was startled to be greeted by more than just a smiling face.

Kenneth Charles, a Virgin customer service agent, picked up Jones’ suitcase and peered at him through a Google Glass headset, which had been informed of Jones’s arrival by the driver of the limo, a pickup service provided by the airline to its most-valued customers.

Without breaking eye contact with his guest, Charles consulted the virtual reality glasses to verify the details of Jones’s flight to Newark, New Jersey. He also confirmed the other data Virgin had on file for Jones, including his passport information, frequent flyer status and whether he had completed the necessary customs and immigration formalities for travel from London to the United States.

“Spooky,” said Jones, a 48-year-old pharmaceuticals executive from Hertfordshire, north of London, before slipping into the lounge’s clubhouse.

Read the rest: Airlines use technology to keep tabs on you | GulfNews.com.