This Is What a Hackathon 30,000 Feet in the Air Looks Like

A few things that probably come to mind when thinking about hackathons: mobile phones glued to participants' hands, open laptops resting on tables and, without a doubt, an Internet connection. But none of these things are present aboard British Airways’ UnGrounded Innovation Lab in the Sky, an 11-hour in-air “hackathon."

Instead, British Airways flight 9120, which flew from San Francisco to London overnight on Wednesday, is filled with 130 members of the tech community, poster boards and hundreds of sticky notes

"This was quite specifically about bringing creative, intelligent people together who love to innovate and we didn't want the distraction of Wi-Fi," Abigail Comber, British Airways head of brand engagement, told Mashable on board the flight. "These barriers give you a unique, absolute focus. Everyone's standing up to bring this to life in a different way, and it really only aids the process."