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Airlines and airports are continuing to trial technology such as Google Glass and smartwatches in the hope of cutting check-in times for passengers. 

Virgin Atlantic staff are set to use hi-tech Google Glass headsets to scan flyers' passports and will also use mini-printers to print off boarding passes.

The airline is set to extend its wearable tech trial, in which Virgin Atlantic staff wore the smartglasses and Sony smartwatches to greet passengers and supply tailored information ahead of their flight.

Virgin is stepping up how it checks in passengers with a trial of more modern technology

It is hoped using more modern technology can provide a better customer experience for travellers

The trial, which began back in February at Heathrow Airport, was used for its first class passengers, but will now be expanded to general check-in areas.

It has been seen as a bid to enhance the customer experience of flying which has been affected by a huge rise in air-travel numbers in recent years. 

And the results were favourable with senior management.

'The trial was a huge success with positive feedback from both our staff and customers on the usage of wearable technology,' a Virgin spokeswoman told ITPro 

Now it appears the company are preparing for a wider country-wide roll-out.

David Bulman, chief information officer, said: 'We are going to start with Google Glass, but we are trialling a number of different glasses.

'We're trialling apps that allow staff to take a picture of your passport, which then works with our systems to find your booking and other information.

'We have done trials with printers that sit on people's belts, so that we can print off boarding passes.'

Flying into the future: Edinburgh Airport's welcome team is using Google Glass to assist travellers

Privacy watchdog Big Brother Group said it is 'surprising' that the technology is being used at an airport

Last month Mail Online Travel reported how Edinburgh Airport had become the first to trial Google Glass for its staff.

The headsets were used to provide flight information, answer queries or translate foreign languages for travellers.

The three-month pilot project offers a glimpse into the future of customer service at airports as management teams take advantage of new forms of technology.

The hands-free device displays digital information and allows users to access the internet or apps using voice commands or snap photos with just a wink.

Until the end of the year, Edinburgh Airport's welcome team, Blackjack, will be using the headsets to assist passengers with questions about their flights, the airport, the city itself or other topics. 

There's an app for that: Iberia and Samsung have developed a wearable boarding pass using a smartwatch

Samsung Electronics' corporate vice-president says the device will make travel more convenient and simple

And Spanish airline Iberia has teamed with tech giant Samsung to become one of the first airlines to allow passengers to board planes with the flick of a wrist.

The two companies have developed a wearable boarding pass using a new app that can be installed on Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Neo smartwatches – eliminating the need for a paper document.

Similar to boarding passes on mobile phones, passengers who are wearing one of the devices simply have to scan the electronic bar code on the app to get through airport checkpoints and onto their flight. 

American Airlines are continuing to look into how to use modern technology to speed up the booking and boarding process also.

The Google Glass trail by Virgin has been declared a success after starting in February

Virgin Atlantic now look to spread the new technology program through more airports

Back in July the airline, alongside Wearable World, held a convention where app developers, designers and technology providers joined forces to showcase possible future developments.  

'At American, we're extremely sensitive to our customer's evolving needs, and wearable technology is a quickly-growing market,' Phillip Easter, director Mobile Apps at American Airlines told Wearable World. 

'By working with these developers, Wearable World and our partners such as MasterCard in this event, American can help develop new and innovative technologies that will be part of tomorrow's connected travel experience.' 

Last month easyJet launched a new passport scanning function to its mobile app last month, making it the first European airline to have such a feature. 

EasyJet's app, which has been downloaded around 10 million times to date, now enables customers using an iOS or Android device to scan their passport details using their mobile phone camera as part of the check-in process.

Virgin Atlantic is still firming up the details and has yet to decide where the new trial will take place and how long it will run.

Virgin Atlantic is also testing wearable tech within its own operations, Mr Bulman said, such as smartwatches for ground staff and facial recognition technology.

Virtual reality could be a cheaper, more convenient way to train up cabin crew, for example.