There is no free lunch in this world, and neither are there free seats on a plane – not unless you happen to own the airline itself, or are somehow in a position where such perks are afforded to you. While humans are the ones who would fly in the cabin of an airplane, how awkward do you think it would be if a robot were to be seated right next to you instead? 

A robot named “Athena” has officially become the first humanoid robot to pay for a seat on a flight. The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) announced the occasion via Twitter. Their Twitter account said the robot is going from LAX to Germany on a Lufthansa airplane today. The robot is traveling with two scientists and boarded the plane around noon. As a humanoid robot, Athena has physical features that make it appear to be a person and has a head, arms and legs. The robot went through the check-in process with the scientists and has its own seat.