Passengers boarding British Airways are in for a treat as their chosen airline is currently testing a hi-tech blanket which changes colour using brainwaves, to ensure it offers customers the best flight¹s sleep in the sky.

Known as the Œhappiness blanket, the new innovation is woven with fibre optics and uses neuro-sensors to measure a person¹s brainwaves, changing colour, from red to blue, to show when they¹re at their most relaxed and meditative.

The airline hopes monitoring a person¹s sleep and relaxation patterns during a flight will inform decisions made to improve aspects of the in-flight service; from changing the timing of meals, what food is served
and even the types of films shown ­ to make flying and sleeping onBritish Airways flights even more relaxing.

A group of volunteers on board the BA189 Dreamliner service from Heathrow to New York last week were among the first to try out the hi-tech Œhappiness blankets¹ for themselves and report on their experiences.

Frank van der Post, British Airways¹ managing director, brands andcustomer experience, said: “This is the first time this technology has been used by any airline to help shape how service is delivered on board an aircraft.”

“Using technology like the British Airways Œhappiness blanket¹ is another way for us to investigate how our customers¹ relaxation and sleep is affected by everything on board, from the amount of light in the cabin, when they eat, to what in-flight entertainment they watch and their
position in the seat.”

“Having been the first airline to introduce the fully-flat bed inbusiness class, we take our customers¹ sleep and relaxation, very seriously. Now we want to ensure they get the best possible good flight¹s sleep as well.”

Vincent Walsh, professor of human brainresearch at University College London, said: ³Sleeping on a plane is a great opportunity to reset your body clock so you arrive at your destination after a long flight, feeling refreshed and rested.”

Last week it also announced the introduction of ŒSlow TV¹ programming on board a number of its long-haul flights. The Œwallpaper¹ style footage, which features a seven hour train journey through Norway, introduces a hypnotic quality for some viewers.

British Airways features more than 130 movies, 650 TV shows from around the world and some 550 audio albums and 225 radio shows in its in-flight entertainment systems.