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At the start of the project, I felt quite intimidated by the brief as I haven't had any experience in spatial design and thought it would be a huge challenge to design and model an entire aircraft cabin in 6 weeks. This seemingly daunting task really pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to extensively research the knowledge and learn the skills required to successfully complete the project. As I reflect on my notes throughout the design process, it was interesting and rewarding to see how my concept and design thinking developed. In addition, condensing my learnings and expounding the qualities of my concept in 2 slides was particularly challenging and also a task I believe could have been done better in my final submission. The graphics and texts on the first slide could be organised in a way that's more visually engaging. for example, using callouts to highlight and pinpoint the key qualities of the new cabin arrangement.

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Using current seat designs with new layout 1-2-2-1

x48 premium economy seats (more than Qantas layout)

x96 economy seats.

Solo passengers have window seats & families/couples have aisle seats. No issues with jumping over passengers.

No alteration to business class layout.

Improvements to Concept 1

Better loading method - Wilma method (window, middle then aisle)

Use concept 2 to enforce change

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Flow of passengers and crew members moves in one direction to avoid close contact.

Floor signage for 1.5 m distance.

Reduced contacts.

Improvements to concept 2

Use concept 1 arrangement.

Pre-ordering meals can reduce food weight, wastes and allows for quick, effective meal prep

Only serve a single dish - have multiple robots for other meals

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Focussed on saving costs for airline and quick turnaround time.

Same number of seats are kept but seats are modified with additional seat dividers.

Seats are mounted on rails to enable sliding.

Improvements to Concept 3

No seat dividers.

Use concept 1 arrangement.

Safety issues with sliding seats.

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Most of airlines revenue comes from first class seats

Consider economic loss for airlines - need a realistic solution

Cost of losing seats is paid by passengers ie higher air fares

A one way system is not always ideal -  passing more seats to find your seat increases chance for infection

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Anti-microbial materials/coating

Transparent/ semi-translucent.

Self operating fabrics/ Smart textiles.

3D Knit, recycled yarns

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1. Load economy passengers on business class seats - front of the plane (they will be loaded last). Completely upgrade the interior of current economy seats for business passengers - back of the plane (they will be loaded first).

2. Cabin seats with thermo-sensors to generate readings of passengers  body temperature. Or lights up when temperature is above 37.

3. Automated meal service. Passengers order meals through app which they can self collect when served by an AI meal cart.

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Size, load and possibility of carry on luggage?

Galley & toilets can't be rearranged due to the plane internal structure.

'Flex Zones' where galleys/toilets can be arranged - above & below deck

Using overhead space

Flexible/modular components

Moveable barriers

Modular sections of seats

Middle seat problem

removing it will only keeps you 45cm away from the next person.

An opportunity to reconfigure economy cabin.

Uni-directional passage to reduce close contact

IDEA 3: Autonomous meal service cart that circles in one direction, passenger collect pre-prepared meals

Can zoom in to design for a specific section OR zoom out to design the entire layout.

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Existing seating configurations and interior layout of seating, aisles, galleys, stowage and toilets need to be re-considered. Using the Boeing 787 floor plan as a foundation for your design, reconfigure and visualise the Interior to meet infection control requirements.

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• Aircraft safety compliance and operational requirements

• Airframe envelope & constraints

• People: Passengers (adults and children), Aircrew, Cleaners and Ground crew

• Elements: Touch points, Surfaces, Textures, Materials and Finishes

• Technology: Lighting, Ventilation, Digital technologies, Smart materials, etc

• Stowage, Toilets and Galleys

• Aircraft cabin hygiene - between flights, and during flights

• Cleaning, sanitising and decontamination - prevent

the spread

• Loading/unloading of passengers

• Low-Touch, Contactless and Self-service experiences

• Aircraft cabin changes in response to emerging requirements for safe air travel

Boeing 787-9 Details
https://www.traveller.com.au/qantas-boeing-7879-dreamliner-seat-review-economy-class-premium-economy-and-business-gz69ff

https://airlinesfleet.com/qantas-fleet-boeing-787-9-dreamliner-details-and-pictures/#Economy

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As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, the airline industry continues to be impacted by country-wide lockdowns and declining travel demand.

John, a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, described to Business Insider what a day in his life looks like, and how the airline is taking precautions to protect its staff still flying amid a pandemic.

John said he chooses to continue flying because he believes flight attendants are risking their health and safety to ensure that people abroad can return home and that medical equipment and personnel can be transported to hospitals around the country.

"We're also on the frontlines of this crisis," he said. "Obviously not at the same level as doctors or nurses, but we're doing our best to keep people safe."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Industries around the world are being impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic, forcing stores to shutter, employees to be laid off, and stocks to plummet.

The airline industry has been hit particularly hard by the major societal changes brought on by the coronavirus. The number of cases around the world has seen exponential growth in recent weeks, leading to travel bans, flight cancellations, and country-wide lockdowns. Several airlines in the United States and the United Kingdom have already collapsed due to declining travel demand.

But some airlines have continued flying despite the uncertainty surrounding the virus spread, and airline CEOs have pledged to avoid mass layoffs if the government can provide critical aid money to protect the industry from collapse.

"It's such a scary and uncertain time for everyone," Delta Air Line flight attendant John told Business Insider. John, not his real name, asked that his identity be protected for fear of retribution at work.

"Flight crews are on the frontlines of it all," he added. "We've seen things change here so quickly."

John says the magnitude of the coronavirus spread hit the airline industry about three weeks ago, shortly after President Donald Trump suspended travel to Europe.

"Everything went downhill so quickly, people stopped booking leisure flights," John said. "That's when everything became real."

The State Department has since raised its global health advisory to Level 4, which means "do not travel," and has advised US citizens to avoid all international travel. Trump said on Wednesday that he was also looking at expanding air travel restrictions to include some domestic travel.

Delta has since taken some drastic measures to cut costs, including parking half of its fleet, slashing executive pay, and sending 10,000 employees on unpaid leave. The world's largest airline also planned to reduce its seat capacity by 70% and cut international flights by 80%.

"Most of our flights now don't have more than 20 people on them," John said. One of his most recent flights had less than five passengers.

John said he noticed the biggest changes to his schedule.

"Everybody used to know exactly what days they were supposed to work with exact destinations," he said. "Then all of a sudden, trips started being cancelled in our schedules for April."

Flight schedules are usually sent out a month in advance, according to John, and he says that he has regularly scheduled flights throughout April. He has yet to receive his schedule for May, and worries about increased travel restrictions and flight cuts.

John said he's had to adopt a more flexible arrangement in order to stay rostered on. He said that many of his flights have been rerouted or cancelled, sometimes mid-flight.

"So right now I'm on reserve, or like on call, for whatever days I am supposed to work," he said. "So if they call me to work, I go and they pay me for the hours that I was supposed to get paid for initially."

"Things are just changing quickly, so you have to go in keeping an open mind that you may not do the exact thing you thought you were going to do and they might just throw you somewhere else completely," he added.

Additionally, the airline has stepped up its safety precautions to ensure its flight attendants and passengers don't get sick.

Delta has expanded its cabin cleaning processes, including using a fogging device to disinfect high-traffic areas on the plane and thoroughly cleaning its cabin surfaces including tray tables, seatback screens, and lavatories, after each flight.

John said the company also provides its crew with gloves to wear throughout the flight, though masks are optional.

"We can wear a mask," he said. "They haven't provided them to us yet, but they said they would start."

He added that the meal services on domestic flights have become less frequent and that the variety of selection has been greatly reduced.

"We used to go around with our carts and offer any type of soda, coffee, water, snacks, and food for sale. First-class passengers used to be offered full meals. That's all been stopped, and we're just doing little bottles of water and a snack to each person in order to reduce contact between passengers and crew."

Crew members try to observe social distancing measures in the air and on the ground. John said most airports look like "ghost towns."

"It's mostly crew walking around," he said. "Most of the restaurants are closed, except for a few large chains."

"It's all very weird and scary," he said.

The US recently passed a stimulus package known as the CARES Act, which states that airlines accepting federal aid cannot reduce workforces before September 30, though it's unclear what might happen to workers beyond that point.

John said that some of his colleagues remain worried about losing their jobs, and many have chosen to stop flying due to the risk of contracting the disease in transit.

"Nobody has been forced out, but a lot of them have taken unpaid leave," he said.

John said he chooses to continue flying because he believes flight attendants are risking their health and safety to ensure that people abroad can return home and that medical equipment and personnel can be transported to hospitals around the country.

"There are people calling for all flights to stop because travel can contribute to spreading the disease," he said. "But others want to continue helping bring people home."

"We're also on the frontlines of this crisis," he said. "Obviously not at the same level as doctors or nurses, but we're doing our best to keep people safe."
Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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A Delta flight attendant describes what it's like flying during the coronavirus pandemic with near-empty planes and 'ghost town' airports

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As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, the airline industry continues to be impacted by country-wide lockdowns and declining travel demand. John, a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, described to Business Insider what a day in his life looks like, and how the airline is taking precautions to protect its staff still flying amid a pandemic.

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- Limited inflight services (food, drinks, shop) on short flights
- Business class meals are served on a single tray instead of multiple courses
- All-in-one snack bags replace food/drink service
- Hot towel service suspended

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Perforated metal frame integrated with smart textiles - lightweight conductive yarn replaces typical  foam seats

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designboom | architecture & design magazine

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benjamin hubert unveils app-controlled seating concept for airbus

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'move' utilises smart textiles enabling passengers to monitor and control variables, including seat tension and temperature.

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Redesigned to suit proposed  meal service system. Galley now transforms into docking stations for AUTOMEAL.

Possibility tp upgrade galley for other purposes e.g. water refill station/sink

Economy seating
1-2-2-2-1

Premium economy seating
1-2-2-1

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Every morning I wake up with heaps of existential dread over the state of our planet. Antarctica is too hot. Australia is on fire. There are massive locust swarms in East Africa. I am far from claiming is the one that'll turn this shit around, but I do appreciate the push for sustainable interiors on its future cars.

Geely-owned Polestar is aiming to cut weight, reduce plastic content and lower waste material in its future cars by using natural and recycled source materials, according to a company press release. For example, Bcomp, a Swiss natural fiber composite company, has technology that can turn flax into lightweight interior panels. Polestar claims this will result in a 50 percent reduction in overall weight and an 80 percent reduction in plastic content.

Further, seat surfaces can be made from the 3D-knit material that's used in active shoes and fashion. "A single thread is used to produce a three-dimensional individual component in its entirety," says Polestar. The base material is 100 percent recycled yarn that's made from polyethylene terephthalate bottles. So, instead of floating around in the ocean and choking a dolphin, you can sit on it instead.

Finally, cork and fishing nets can be useful, too. Waste from cork production and whole bottle stoppers can be used in polyvinyl chloride components. Fishing nets, so harmful when improperly disposed of, can provide recycled Nylon 6 and be turned into carpets.

G/O Media may get a commission

It's kind of a funny juxtaposition here, as car production can result in a huge amount of carbon dioxide emissions by itself (mining for resources, manufacturing parts, transporting, etc.). But all the same, if this idea takes off, it means that perhaps recycling technology can make it into more of the thousands and thousands of cars Geely makes. It's a start. Maybe one day it'll even be cheap enough to replace the normal materials.

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Polestar Wants Its Future Car Interiors To Be Filled With Sustainable Materials

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Every morning I wake up with heaps of existential dread over the state of our planet. Antarctica is too hot. Australia is on fire. There are massive locust swarms in East Africa. I am far from claiming Polestar is the one that'll turn this shit around, but I do appreciate the push for sustainable interiors on its future cars.

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Ultraviolet-cleaning systems

Contactless technologies e.g. facial biometrics, digital ID scanning on mobile apps

Electronic bag tags

Offsite processing

Face recognition and thermal sensing (contagion heat map)

Real-time crowd density tracking (LIDAR sensor and 3D stereoscopic sensors)

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As part of our ongoing efforts to keep the industry connected during these challenging times, FTE staged its first live virtual event focusing on Post-COVID-19 Airports, which took place on 13 May. During the live broadcast, leading industry suppliers had the opportunity to showcase their unique solutions and latest technologies that can help the industry overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

Defined by a strong focus on contactless technologies, biometrics, electronic bag tags and offsite processing, here we present a variety of the solutions that took centre stage.

NEC Corporation: Re-defining the air passenger journey

NEC Corporation focused on how airports are implementing touchless technologies like face recognition and thermal sensing for a seamless, hygienic customer experience. Richard Wilks, Director, Global Aviation, NEC, explained that the company is working with its customers and partners to establish low-cost solutions using AI, biometrics and identify management to overcome some of the challenges. "Here at NEC, we believe that now is the right time for biometrics at airports to take centre stage." Highlighting Delta's fully biometric terminal, he said that 87% of all outbound Delta international passengers are boarding with their face only at an average verification speed of 1.5 seconds per passenger, allowing Delta to shorten the usual boarding time process. So how can biometrics help in a COVID-19 world? Indeed, biometrics can take one third of the process off the airport. NEC now offers an SDK (Software Development Kit) or a White-Label App for airlines to provide consent-based enrolment into a biometric programme. As part of the enrolment NEC will do an identity match through a selfie or a photo contained within the passport and also authenticate the passport being used. The benefit for the passenger is that once enrolled they no longer need to show their passport or boarding pass at the airport. Wilks also announced that Star Alliance member airlines will be the first to use the service in Europe. Launching in late-summer, Star Alliance's frequent flyers can enrol permanently into the Star Alliance biometric hub. Once enrolled their biometric identity will travel with them from airport to airport and airline to airline.

BAGTAG: Re-thinking baggage check-in

Focusing on digital baggage was Jasper Quak, Managing Director at BAGTAG, who provided viewers with some quick wins to resume operations safely by implementing Electronic Bag Tags. "At BAGTAG we have given the whole situation a lot of thought and we have started working on a White Paper, which is now published, focusing on how we can adapt the current passenger journey, so it is ready for the recovery of air traffic demand," he said. Recognising that the industry is in need to adapt to the "new normal", BAGTAG has identified three main building blocks to achieve this - avoiding queuing and crowding; avoiding human and machine interaction; and introducing rapid health checks at airports. "We believe if we put these building blocks together, they form a solution. This solution is aimed at two things - making the passenger journey safe and restoring the passenger confidence." However, Quak pointed out that the airport check-in and bag-drop processes create bottlenecks, which prevent this vision from becoming a reality. BAGTAG believes that by introducing Electronic Bag Tags (EBT) these issues will be solved by moving passenger check-in fully off the airport. Indeed, some 287 airports worldwide have handled luggage with BAGTAG's EBTs, including China Southern, Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and others. Quak said: "The main message here is that this is not something that is happening tomorrow, but it is already available today. You can implement this technology today to be ready for tomorrow." Among some of the benefits of the EBTs are that they reduce the need for check-in staff by 50-90%, creating cost-saving opportunities for airlines; remove the need for physical touch points; and provide airports with the opportunity to handle four-times more bags per hour, creating efficiency and more space in the terminal, leading to effective social distancing.

Xovis: Physical distancing at airports

Switzerland-based Xovis says that physical distancing will be a key challenge for airports to deal with, once air traffic resumes. Flurin Hänseler, Research Scientist at Xovis, joined the webinar to present findings from his latest white paper, on 'How to monitor and ensure physical distancing in crowded spaces'. Tracking crowd movements through a passenger contagion map, as well as identifying contagious groups at an early stage, will be two powerful tools that airports can actively use to ensure they will be compliant with post-COVID-19 travel regulations, and can give returning travellers some peace of mind. "Achieving social distancing at airports is particularly difficult because you have queues at different touchpoints," said Hänseler. "So we asked ourselves what are the key ingredients we need to measure physical distancing. First we need to measure people flow especially in queue areas. Secondly, we need to be able to calculate distance, and third we need to be able to identify hotspots and areas where the risk of contagion is high. Xovis' sensors can already measure people flow and calculate distance, so we can take the data from them as we speak. So the main challenge is the identification of contagious areas." So, by generating a "contagion heat map" over time, airports are able to visually see the areas of interest where passengers are breaching the physical distancing guideline. In terms of areas in the airport, such as check-in and security, the Xovis sensors can be used to generate different contagion maps, focusing on absolute contagion (high contagion risks in busy areas), relative contagion (contagion risk corrected for density), and contagious groups (groups that violate physical distancing).

T&TIS: Social distancing and a V-shape recovery

FTE Startup Hub member T&TIS' President, Koichi Yano, presented his vision for how the industry can achieve social distancing and a V-shaped recovery. He introduced Airport Point by SMARTRA which can be applied to airports, as well as airlines. Yano explains that passenger stress during travel can be mitigated by travel time prediction. However, it's not enough to make passengers comfortable. So, T&TIS' value proposition is to change the stressful time into an enjoyable and beneficial shopping time by using personal travel time prediction. Using the Airport Point system, passengers can minimise their waiting time or effectively use it for other purposes, such as shopping or just relaxing, and obtain other beneficial information, such as timely sale information, based on the predicted passage time. Focusing on how the solution can ensure social distancing, Yano said: "Combined with signs, such as footprints on the floor, this solution lets passengers voluntarily keep the physical distance. It's important that the system does not force the passengers to keep the physical distance because they would feel uncomfortable when controlled by the authorities unless it is amid a crisis or emergency."

Dassault Systèmes' virtual twin technology

Restoring passenger confidence is one of the key challenges in the post-COVID-19 era, said Isaac Benzaquen, Airport Experience Solution Director, Dassault Systèmes. "Airports are facing many challenges, however it is important that all actions taken by the airport to keep passenger safe are communicated in an efficient manner to build confidence. Quick decision making and stakeholder collaboration are becoming crucial factors to effective change and airports need greater flexibility to adapt to new regulations, and finally we think that airports must assess their operational model to keep costs down. We strongly believe virtual twins can transform how airports can prepare and recover post-COVID-19 and restore passenger confidence." Benzaquen provided an example of how the company has worked with China's Central-South Architectural Design Institute (CSADI) to support the simulation and evaluation of virus dispersal in the confined environment of Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China - the largest hospital for infectious diseases and COVID-19 patients. Dassault Systèmes utilised its SIMULIA XFLOW simulation capabilities to simulate virus contamination and diffusion within the hospital's ventilation system and to counteract the negative effects from unplanned ventilation risks. Additionally, a 3D cloud-based collaborative platform approach replaced an older, slower document-based approach. Dassault Systèmes is able to expand this success story to the airport and create a safe environment for the passenger. Embracing this new Virtual Twin technology will enable airports to achieve their innovation and collaboration goals while keeping passengers safe, healthy, and secure. Using the Virtual Twin's simulation capabilities, airport teams can perform virtual testing to combat situations like the COVID-19 pandemic with use cases, such as validating the efficiency and effectiveness of open ventilators. The Virtual Twin could also simulate the propagation and exposures of the virus to highlight potential cross-infection areas in the airport and related impacts on passengers and their surroundings.

Copenhagen Optimization's cloud-based planning solution

Copenhagen Optimization's Managing Partner and Co-founder Kasper Hounsgaard addressed how COVID-19 impacts airport operations planning. Copenhagen Optimization is utilising its BETTER AIRPORT platform, a cloud-based planning solution for airport operations. "We have a forecast solution which is looking at passenger flows or baggage flows in real-time operation," he explained. In terms of how physical distancing is impacting the airport operation, Hounsgaard explained that Copenhagen Optimization has worked with Heathrow Airport over the last two months on implementing physical distancing. Heathrow Airport has condensed its operation into two terminals - Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. Currently, most airlines are in Terminal 2 and in order to comply with physical distancing, check-in desk capacity has been temporarily reduced by 36% due to the proximity of some check-in desks being less than 2 metres. Hounsgaard stressed that the impact of physical distancing must be analysed and planned for. "Queuing is not only about wait time and stickers on the floor, it's also about compliance with physical distancing."

Acorel: Providing a safe airport operation

Bruno Aulagner, Business Developer - Airport Solutions, Acorel, shared the company's vision on how passenger counting can help provide a safe airport operation. Acorel presented two technologies - its LIDAR sensor and 3D stereoscopic sensors. Acorel's solutions count people with a very high level of accuracy and while it relies on detecting the position of people in real-time, they can also provide trajectory analysis, real-time tracking and heat mapping or crowd density. To tackle social distancing requirements, caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Acorel is providing turnkey Automatic Passenger Counting Solutions, bringing valuable help to face these challenges. "Our Make it Clean, Make it Fast, Make it Flow and Vision-Lite solutions can truly help airports deal with the post-COVID-19 period."

Amorph Systems' Infection Detection and Containment System

Amorph Systems recently pivoted and teamed up with VANTIQ to help airports worldwide address real-time operational requirements during the COVID-19 outbreak. Andreas Hofmann, Director Business Development Aviation, showcased a brand new solution, a collaborative platform for real-time infection detection and containment for airports, called IDCS (Infection Detection and Containment System). "We are facing a new reality at airports and we think that there would be plenty of measures to check passengers' health and one of these would be temperature checks to prevent the virus from future spread." Currently, a lot of airports rely on manual temperature checks and while these are the quickest solution to implement at short-notice, Hofmann pointed out that in the long-run this won't be efficient enough, as it can create high costs for airports, poses high safety and contamination risks for staff and is incompatible with social distancing measures, leading to high processing times. Once a passenger with fever is detected at the gate, IDCS can individually track the suspect passenger in the airport through the CCTV system and point the security or medical staff to them. "We implemented several features as part of the fever detection system, which are required, such as fever detection, but also location determination, so that airports can detect where the fever event actually is positioned in the airport terminal, as well as a point-to-point tracking which is required to identify where the passenger is. In addition to that there are also all kinds of alerts and notifications to inform the right people across the terminal environment." Hofmann also added that the solution is designed for collaborative use, so that all stakeholders at the airport can be informed in real-time which action to take.

Elenium Automation's touchless technology

One of the key trends that have emerged following the coronavirus outbreak is around touchless technology. Elenium Automation's CEO Aaron Hornlimann explained that the company has taken a multi-faceted approach to touchless technology, which includes voice recognition, touchless control, as well as contactless ID scanning. Touchless control can be added to any self-service devices using artificial intelligence and it has the potential to dramatically reduce bacterial transmission. Elenium has developed patent pending touchless solutions allowing passengers, including those with reduced mobility, to control the self-service device using their head movement as an alternative to physically touching a screen. Another benefit of the solution is that it can read and identify ID such as passports. Voice recognition, which Elenium has developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services, is an additional option for touchless control of a self-service device. Hornlimann also explained that the voice recognition can distinguish voices in busy environments like airports, hospitals, or medical centres. In terms of vital sign detection, the process is more than looking at the thermal image, it also features heart rate, body temperature and respiration rate, which are read and analysed using near infrared and thermal imaging to provide an indication of possible illness. Key questions, such as travel history, can be asked to further determine whether escalation to an agent, via video conference, for further assessment is required. This technology is not designed or intended to diagnose medical conditions but provides an early warning indicator. "When we bring all of these technologies together, we are effectively able to work a risk profile for the passenger. It's important to know that this technology is not designed to diagnose medical condition, but provide an early warning indicator." Etihad become the first airline to trial Elenium's new contactless self-service technologies, while Avalon Airport is also set to implement these technologies, becoming the first in Australia to do so.

Vision-Box's Seamless Flow solutions

Vision-Box recently published a white paper on the potential of contactless digital identity technology with advanced biometrics to save lives by clearing people quickly and seamlessly at checkpoints in travel hubs and border crossings to prevent physical interaction with potentially infected devices, personnel or surfaces. "Seamless identification technology can help prevent the transmission of pathogens at airports," Jeff Lennon, Head of Strategic Sales & Global Partnerships, Vision-Box, explained during the FTE APEX webinar. By eliminating the need to exchange travel documents, speeding clearance, reducing crowd levels and lineups, and providing easily-disinfected solutions, Vision-Box's biometric offerings can minimise the risk at travel hub hotspots, as well as the risk of transmission beyond the travel hub or border area. According to the white paper, current airport operational models could pose a risk of virus transmission, while Seamless Flow solutions leveraging facial biometrics and digital mobile ID apps that have already been gaining momentum may be the new normal as touchless technology is deployed to eliminate bottlenecks and other situations posing increased transmission risk. "Through biometrics, we will be able to know in advance who is coming where, and ultimately this data is available to different stakeholders, based on legitimate purposes they might have to obtain this information for the passenger. Airlines and airports might start real-time information sharing to better rearrange almost in real-time the operation at the airport. And that's where the combination of orchestration, identity management platform, usage of biometrics and floor management comes together with a combination of technologies from our colleagues such as Xovis and Copenhagen Optimization," said Lennon.

LB Foster: Customer information systems

As the coronavirus outbreak develops, Dr Mark Aston, Chief Technology Officer, LB Foster, said that keeping passengers informed in the airport terminal is paramount. He introduced the company's Inform wireless mobile totem, which is capable of connecting to any passenger information system, as well as operational management systems and disruption messaging. "This is a key technology at this time where the actual footfall through airports, stations and shopping malls need to be managed in a very unusual way," Aston said. "Social distancing has meant that we need to take into account how displays are used and our totems are very much the idea behind a portable solution that allows you to provide messages that are key to the environment that the passengers are transiting through at that very moment." The displays are linked wirelessly and can be used at various points at the airport, such as the gates or car parks to prepare people for the journey through the airport itself. The screens have already been used throughout the UK at airports such as Gatwick and Bristol, and rail stations for key messages such as social distancing and prompting people to wash their hands. "We have a global solution to help manage footfall through the terminals and the gates, as the coronavirus impacts air travel and airport travel itself," explained Aston.

DUBZ: Airport of the future

Omar Abou Faraj, CEO & Co-founder, DUBZ, took the opportunity to lay out a vision for the airport of the future. He said: "We want to change how things work at the airport. Legacy systems have been implemented at airports and we believe if we digitise these we can bring a lot of operational and commercial benefits and enhance the passenger experience." Building on its project in Dubai, where DUBZ opened a check-in station in The Dubai Mall for airline passengers travelling through Dubai International Airport, the company now wants to expand this service globally. "We have customised technology for offsite processing and operational know-how particularly when it comes to taking the airport processes offsite." In a recent White Paper, published by DUBZ, Faraj argues that the process of travel as we know it today plays a key role in making the whole process more vulnerable. The key concept behind it is decentralising the airport processes or bringing key airport processes off-airport. During his presentation he proposed one scenario of travelling, in which the passenger can be screened for potential risk prior to arriving at the airport. The airline system can view the passenger's full travel and personal history, which is securely stored. Prior to checking-in the passenger, the system detects that based on his/her location over the previous few days there is a heightened risk of having been infected by a recent disease, such as COVID-19. The passenger can then be advised to go to a remote and mobile check-in terminal that is quipped with a medical check-up facility, where they would spend a few hours in isolation while waiting for the test results. Faraj explained that this isolation room doesn't need to create a stressful experience for the passenger, but in fact could serve as a duty-free and entertainment portal. If medically fit, the passenger can then receive immigration clearance using biometrics and board the flight. So, by implementing this type of passenger journey, DUBZ says it can enable implementation of early processing of passengers; use predictive analytics to identify those at risk; reduce interaction time as well as crowds at the airports; and meet health and security standards, while maintaining an excellent passenger experience.
Among the highlights during the event was also a panel discussion between Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh Airport; Javed Malik, Group COO, AirAsia; and Joe Leader, CEO, APEX/IFSA, who focused on how collaboration and technology will be instrumental to building confidence in the industry. Read our coverage here.

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12 tech solutions for a post-COVID-19 airport experience

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As part of our ongoing efforts to keep the industry connected during these challenging times, FTE staged its first live virtual event focusing on Post-COVID-19 Airports, which took place on 13 May. During the live broadcast, leading industry suppliers had the opportunity to showcase their unique solutions and latest technologies that can help the industry overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

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Side effects of UV on health and materials (yellowing of plastics over time)

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UV-C is found within 100-280 nm range. In the graph can be seen that germicidal action is maximized at 265 nm with reductions on either side. Philips Low pressure UV-C lamps have their main emission at 254 nm where the action on DNA is 85% of the peak value and 80% on the IES curve. As a result, our germicidal lamps are extremely effective in breaking down the DNA of micro-organisms. This means that they cannot replicate and cause disease.

Micro-organisms effective resistance to UV light varies considerably. Moreover, the environment of the particular micro-organism greatly influences the radiation dose needed for its destruction.

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UV-C is found within 100-280 nm range. In the graph can be seen that germicidal action is maximized at 265 nm with reductions on either side. Philips Low pressure UV-C lamps have their main emission at 254 nm where the action on DNA is 85% of the peak value and 80% on the IES curve.

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Inspiration for automated meal service idea.

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The First

UV-C System Designed Just

for Airplanes

Commercial airlines play a direct role in the way diseases spread around the globe. Airplanes have the unique ability to carry germs across continents and oceans. Routine, effective treatment of commercial aircraft is difficult and inconvenient. Airlines are not bound by regulations or standards for hygiene onboard. GermFalcon is a fast, convenient, easy to use system in routine and emergency situations. Offering a turnkey solution for infection prevention and emergency preparedness in air travel...

FOR HOSPITALS AND VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTS

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Airplane Germs | United States | GermFalcon

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Commercial airlines play a direct role in the way diseases spread around the globe. Airplanes have the unique ability to carry germs across continents and oceans. Routine, effective treatment of commercial aircraft is difficult and inconvenient. Airlines are not bound by regulations or standards for hygiene onboard.

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Emphasis on hygiene and sanitation (easily cleaned and disinfected)

Seat partitioning screens

Functionality driven form & technical/futuristic furniture.

Minimal, modern, high-tech.

Temperate lighting/ambient illumination.

Sculpted seat, designed to closely mould the human form, optimise knee and leg room - draws on sports car design

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Quick and effective sanitation during turnaround between flights.

Hygiene of food and comfort packs (blankets, duvets, pillows).

Pre-packaged and sealed items

Mandatory PPE for both passengers & crew - replacing items in amenities kit with PPE packs.

Air is recycled through hospital-grade HEPA filters, removing 99.97% of contaminants including viruses. The other half is flushed outside through valves.

Arrangement and sectioning of business/economy class.

Privacy - removing cabin dividers/curtains, data privacy.

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Sanitation robots/ autonomous cleaners.

Photon showers for jet lag.

Hover meal carts. Seamless meal service with reduced human contacts.

Voice recognition & touchless control e.g. Elenium technology uses head movement to control self-service device/screens.

Improved digital queuing

Layering fast/touchless technology -  combine OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology and machine learning to check/verify passengers health during check-in.

AR/AI technology to create a personalised  contactless experience.

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The FTE APEX Post-COVID-19 Airports virtual event saw nearly 1,000 people from 100 countries tune in to watch industry leaders discuss their passenger experience plans and visions for the future. The live event provided a platform for airlines and airports to share their latest strategies to bring back confidence, while pitch sessions allowed suppliers to present their solutions and latest technologies for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.

Among the highlights during the event was a panel discussion which focused on how collaboration and technology will be instrumental to building confidence in the industry.

Airports - a critical gateway for safer passenger experience

Kicking off the discussion was Dr. Joe Leader, CEO, APEX & IFSA, who provided some quick-fire recommendations on how the industry should evolve and adapt, especially in the airport environment, in response to COVID-19. He said: "APEX believes that airports will be the critical gateway for setting the tone for safer passenger travel in a COVID-19 world."

In particular, Leader highlighted the importance of the airport security area. "Security remains the number one area for COVID-19 vigilance in my professional opinion. While a typical aircraft seat will be used by a handful of people each day, the touchpoints within security screening will be used by hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people each day."

To drive this forward, APEX has launched a list of best practises for COVID-19, including advising all travellers and customer-facing airline employees to wear face coverings throughout their journey. Leader said: "This is an initiative we stated worldwide to airlines a couple of weeks ago and we have never seen such a fast response from airports and airlines around the world.

"As an industry we've always done a good job conveying security messages at the airport security checkpoints. So now, airport security and airports need to convey what they are doing to enhance sanitation and also stress the vigilance needed at airport security checkpoints."

Outside of the security area, Leader urged airports to make the passenger experience as normal as possible with sanitation, spacing, social distancing queueing and seating, and signage to keep passengers informed and mindful.

Bringing back passenger confidence

Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh International Airport, and a member of the FTE Executive Advisory Board, then addressed the key challenges Pittsburgh Airport has faced, and the steps it has implemented to tackle the COVID-19-related challenges.

"We're doing a lot at Pittsburgh International and we have done in the past eight weeks. In fact, we have been monitoring this since late January and kicked in what we call IROPS or irregular operations as soon as the pandemic was announced."

Cassotis took the opportunity to brief attendees on some of the latest initiatives being introduced at the airport, including face coverings, social distancing footprints, frictionless payment options, air filtration, and the adoption of autonomous floor scrubbers with UV technology in partnership with Carnegie Robotics.

"As each airline comes up with ideas for how they are going to manage, it is really going to be crucial that we come together as an industry to make sure that the passenger confidence starts at the kerb or when they park their car, and goes all the way until they depart the airport on the other end. And that really requires that airlines are working with us, the airports."

Speaking from an airline perspective, Javed Malik, Group COO of AirAsia and an FTE Executive Advisory Board Member, also echoed Leader and Cassotis' views on building confidence.

Malik said that AirAsia, which recently resumed its scheduled domestic flights, is leading the way in helping Asia bounce back after the crisis. "We need to bring the confidence back with the consumer, that's our first and top priority. And building confidence is about demonstrating the procedures and processes, and that we care about our people and our guests and that their safety is paramount. The way we're doing that is by bringing in technology. Collaboration at the scale that we're now working at is phenomenal. Collaboration with technology, good safety standards, demonstrated visibly is the way forward for now."

Safe, sanitised, seamless and contactless passenger experience

Creating a safe, sanitised, seamless and contactless experience has been widely discussed as being vitally important to getting the industry back on its feet and encouraging people to fly.

Addressing this Cassotis, said: "It's a question of time and a question of implementation. Our challenge as an airport is that a lot of our concessionaires use different systems that need to be coordinated. We need to act really fast in figuring out what solution, or a suite of solutions, is going to work."

Building on this, Malik again stressed the importance of using technology to create a touchless experience. "We have been on a digital journey for the last couple of years, but really coming to the forefront in the past couple of months in the investments we have made in the people, the teams, development and partnership has accelerated."

Indeed, AirAsia has transitioned to contactless services across the whole ecosystem. The airline is rolling out several contactless procedures for essential travel including contactless payments at the airport, contactless kiosks, Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS) as well as enhanced features on its mobile app to help ensure a smooth and safe travel experience.

Malik also added that airline and airport apps are poised to become a major driver of allowing passengers to check-in, do visa checks, or upload medical certificate readings. "We can use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology and machine learning to verify whether the passenger has had a medical examination and whether we can then accept them to the check-in process. So, really looking at layering fast technology with the changes in the environment we see."

However, there was a general agreement during the panel that communication will be critical to keeping passengers informed. Malik explained: "Observing behaviours, people still want to touch, so educating the public needs to be accelerated."

Cassotis concurred: "Communication is critical at this time. When traffic starts to pick up again, I think we all have a responsibility to let passengers know that it is getting busier.

"We are looking at things like digital queuing to see what that technology looks like and how easily it can be adopted, because we do know that once we get back to half capacity those queues can be daunting."

AirAsia has also taken a proactive approach to queue management and is currently boarding passengers in clusters of ten. "What we're seeing now is that the public is compliant, and people are aware of the various measures the airports and airlines are taking and are being very supportive."

"Cost is king, collaboration is queen"

Effective industry collaboration has never been more important to ensure the industry bounces back as quickly and effectively as possible. It has also become clear that working in siloes will prevent the industry from emerging faster and stronger from this pandemic.

Malik said: "For low-cost carriers, cost is king, but collaboration is queen. We see great relationships with regulators right now, coming forward and changing new policies that we were previously not even able to talk about. So, collaboration and understanding are very important parts."

Cassotis added: "We are starting to collaborate more. This webinar is a great way of doing so. My biggest fear is that we will become imposed upon by governments in ways that don't necessarily inspire confidence.

"We are working with the airlines that serve our airport and making sure we are talking to other airports around the world so that we can share information and that we can be part of a reaction to whatever governments and regulatory bodies tell us is going to be required. I think there needs to be a dialogue that needs to happen at an industry association level, such as IATA, ACI, US Travel and other organisations, so that people can understand what they are trying to do, and so that we have some input on whatever comes out of this as a set of standards that we will all have to adopt."

Challenges

While it is clear that technology such as touchless kiosks, biometrics to verify passenger identity and mobile apps, will play an enormous part in helping the industry adapt, there will certainly be challenges that need to be addressed. During the webinar Rohit Talwar, CEO, Fast Future, highlighted three main areas:

Funding - "The technology costs money and even with the best will of suppliers, ultimately airlines and airports will have to pay for it. There is an element that we have to do it to get passengers moving again, but there's also an element of hope around the business case that over a three year period there would be enough travellers at the airport to warrant this, and that savings in all the other areas will pay for this."

Longevity - "There is an imperative to fully understand not only how these technology will help us deal with the current requirements of getting passengers through the airport while there is a pandemic, but also thinking longer-term about what does this enable, what kind of data we will be collecting with these platforms, what permissions we need from the passenger, so that we don't end up putting things in a hurry and then later deciding it's not what we need. It's better to spend a little bit more time while passenger numbers are low to make sure we get right the longer-term thinking around the flexibility we want."

Consistency - "We need to take this opportunity to rethink what kind of experience we want to create and making sure that it feels consistent."

100% traffic figures by 2025

The air transport industry is truly going through a unique period of change right now. Looking beyond the COVID-19 crisis, the closing panel shared insights into what the passenger experience might look like in 2025.

Turning the focus to airline connectivity, Leader said: "The good news is that there is a universal agreement that by 2025 we will be back to 100% traffic figures. Investments for environmental, technological advancements will remain on course, the one thing that may suffer will be the connectivity or routes, and the ease of getting from point A to B without having to connect. And I hope that is something we can return to sooner rather than later."

Daniel Coleman, CEO, Future Travel Experience, predicts that a lot of the new approaches that the industry is bringing in now will be the new norm in 2025. He said: "The big change that will happen now, because of the big financial pressure that airlines and airports are experiencing, is that there will be a big push to drive efficiency."

Talwar agreed that passenger figures will go back to 2019 figures in terms of volumes and revenues, however he foresees that 50% of airports and 50% or airlines that are around today could have disappeared or will be under new management. He said: "We'll see a lot of new players coming in. We'll see a transformed experience where some of the airlines will become a bit more like the hotel industry with the big brand pulled out of owning the assets. And we will start to see players who run the airline fleet and maybe even provide cabin crew. Some new business models will emerge with people who own the brand who are really focussed on the passenger experience completely and how they use the relationship with the passenger to deliver additional revenue streams."

Talwar also expects that "invisible technology" such as touchless processing, artificial intelligence, robotics and blockchain will become increasingly common.

He said: "Personally, I think the way we will start to get more passengers flying again is by adopting offsite verification that proves that you have had an antibody test or a vaccination or a health certificate, so you don't buy a ticket before having that. But also, we really need to focus on making a green experience and driving down the environmental footprint and as much as possible trying to take away the concept of "flight shaming"."
Read more coverage of the FTE APEX Post-COVID-19 Airports webinar from FTE & APEX Media, including this article on how Dublin Airport is preparing for the new commercial and customer experience reality.

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Contactless technology, building confidence and collaboration key to future of airports post-COVID-19

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The FTE APEX Post-COVID-19 Airports virtual event saw nearly 1,000 people from 100 countries tune in to watch industry leaders discuss their passenger experience plans and visions for the future. The live event provided a platform for airlines and airports to share their latest strategies to bring back confidence, while pitch sessions allowed suppliers to present their solutions and latest technologies for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.

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Implementation of seat screens require certification and time.

Ensuring data privacy with increasing integration of technology.

Standardisation blurring the lines between classes - all meals are served in prepackaged boxes.

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Serving meals by zones e.g. serve window seats followed by aisle seats.

Load economy passengers before business/first passengers due to current seat structure.

Board passengers in smaller clusters (10-20 pp)

The number of people allowed to be on a flight to ensure good social distancing.

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1. Block/zone method (boarding from the back to the front of the aircraft) - current & slowest

2. Wilma method (Window, Middle, and then Aisle) - best

3. Steffen method (passengers line up in a prescribed order)

4. Random boarding

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One of the most frustrating things about travel is all the waiting you have to do.

Waiting to check-in, waiting to get through security and then waiting for your gate to open.

And even when boarding begins, you still end up queueing for another 20 minutes. But why does it take so long?

When I was waiting to board a flight this month, I cast my mind back to an episode of MythBusters from a few years ago, where six methods of plane boarding were tested.

And the most shocking thing was that the most popular method of boarding with airlines today was by far the slowest!

Let's take a look at each boarding method in turn, and figure out which is the quickest, as well as the most satisfying to passengers.

How They Did It

To accurately test the speed of each plane boarding method, the MythBusters team built an accurate replica of a plane interior with 173 real seats along with overhead luggage compartments.

Passengers were stationed at a boarding gate and were given tickets with a seat assignment before each test.

To make sure it wasn't all smooth sailing, 5% of passengers were told to behave in a difficult way, such as making their way back down the plane in the wrong direction, sitting in the wrong seat, boarding with small children, or wasting time in the aisle.

Each method of boarding was judging on two metrics:

1. The amount of time it took for everyone to board and be sat down.

2. The passengers' satisfaction level with the method, earning 1 point for a good experience, 0 points for a neutral experience and -1 point for a bad experience.

Let's see what they found.

Back to Front Boarding

This is the boarding method you'll be most familiar with as it's the one used by the vast majority of airlines.

In this system, business class boards first. Then the rest of the plane is separated into zones, which each zone being boarded in turn, from the back of the plane to the front.

At first glance, this seems to be a sensible option as it keeps parties together, and keeps the number of groups to a minimum.

But in practice, it leads to too many people boarding at one time, causing traffic jams and minor altercations in the aisle, for an average boarding time of 24m 29s.

Additionally, it led to the majority of passengers viewing this method as neutral or bad on the satisfaction scale with a total score of 19.

Window, Middle, Aisle Boarding (WILMA)

The next method of boarding uses the same number of groups, but arranges them in a slightly different way.

Business class is boarded first - you may see a pattern emerging here. Then all of the window seats are boarded next, followed by all the middle seats and then all the aisle seats.

This system, adorably nicknamed WILMA, was almost 10 minutes faster than back-to-front boarding at 14m 55s.

And not only that, it seemed to go down well with the passengers as it scored a whopping 102 points.

A possible pitfall of this system is that parties may be separated, but apart from that, it seems a popular alternative to back to front boarding.

WILMA in Blocks

A slight variation of the traditional window, middle, aisle system is WILMA in blocks.

This boarding method combines WILMA with back to front boarding, starting with business class in two sections, followed by the window seats to the rear, and then the middle and aisle seats to the rear. We then move onto the window seats of the next section up, followed by the middle and aisle seats of the same section, and so on.

Results of this method were roughly similar to WILMA, taking a touch longer at 15m 7s, but being slightly more satisfying with 105 points.

All in all, the results are so similar that it's difficult to choose between them, although this could be arguably more complicated because of the number of groups that have to be called.

Reverse Pyramid Boarding

You could argue that reverse pyramid boarding takes WILMA in blocks to the next level, by having passengers board in...well a reverse pyramid!

Once again we start with business class, but after that, passengers are instructed to board from the bottom outside edges inwards.

This method took three seconds longer than the previous one at 15m 10s, but it had the highest satisfaction rating of all at 113 points.

From our perspective, it seems that any of these three methods would be better than the current one we have in place, but the Mythbusters gang also tested two more random plane boarding methods.

Let's take a look at those.

Random With Assigned Seats

With this boarding method, passengers all had seats assigned. Business class boarded first, and then everyone else was let on at once.

This resulted in a boarding time of 17m 15s, which incredibly was still quicker than back to front boarding!

However, customer satisfaction was at just 12 points, which meant that this mad dash for your seat wasn't particularly appreciated by passengers.

There is something to be said for letting passengers seat themselves, but the added chaos during an already stressful time may not be the best idea.

Which brings us onto...

Random Without Assigned Seats

By far the lowest scoring seating method. In fact, random boarding without assigned seats was the only boarding method to score less than zero!

This method is exactly what it sounds like: let business class passengers board first, and then everyone else sits where they like.

While this led to a boarding time of just 14m 7s, this can probably be explained by passengers rushing aboard to get the seat they want, or for a place next to their friends or family.

The insane scrum that must have ensured meant this method scored -5 on the customer satisfaction scale.

Not the way to start or end your holiday, that's for sure!

So Why Don't Airlines Let Us Board Quicker?

You can see from the summary above that there are at least three better alternatives than the back to front boarding we have to go through at the moment.

So why do airlines continue to make us board in the slowest manner possible?

The answer, as you might expect, comes down to money.

The current system, frustrations and all, allows airlines to offer more expensive tickets for priority boarding or similar services. If you take away the annoyance with having to wait, you also take away a precious income stream.

And that just won't do for the airlines!

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5 Faster Ways to Board a Plane - Why Won't Airlines Adopt These?

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One of the most frustrating things about travel is all the waiting you have to do. Waiting to check-in, waiting to get through security and then waiting for your gate to open. And even when boarding begins, you still end up queueing for another 20 minutes. But why does it take so long?

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Dan Freeman, Director of Payloads Engineering at Boeing

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Dan Freeman, Director of Payloads Engineering at Boeing

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“Changing the architecture of the cabin is very difficult. I don’t see a futuristic change in a decade, but I see this constant evolution that aircraft are going to provide a service that is safe for the passenger and crew, while it is differentiated to serve the airlines’ needs in order to serve the passengers.”

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Fabio Gamba, Director General at  Airline Caterers Association

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Fabio Gamba, Director General at  Airline Caterers Association

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"People would prefer food that is traceable and trackable. They would want a bit more information of what it is that they are eating. In terms of waste, there would be legitimate expectations to have more sustainability in the way the cabin waste is being treated. And the third part is the way the food is being distributed and brought to the passenger.”

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Akira Mitsumasu, VP, Global Marketing at Japan Airlines

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Akira Mitsumasu, VP, Global Marketing at Japan Airlines

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“I hope that the 2030 cabin will be more environmentally friendly. For example, having everything pre-selected and pre-loaded, so that we don’t have to load anything that customers do not want and need.”

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Professor Byron Jones of Kansas State University

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Professor Byron Jones of Kansas State University

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"Current aircraft ventilation systems are excellent.The biggest challenge you have on an aircraft is the extremely high occupant density. You have got a lot of people crammed into a small space, and you have to get a lot of air in there to ventilate that space to maintain the air quality,"

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Innovators are setting their sights on reimagining aircraft interiors for the benefit of passengers.

Renditions submitted to Hamburg Aviation's Crystal Cabin Award show what the aircraft of the future may look like if innovators have their way.

Such concepts include beds in economy class, onboard spas, and open concept aircraft.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If there's one constant in this ever-changing world, it's that innovators are constantly imagining how things can be made better. Air travel is no different.

Manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus are reshaping how humans take to the sky every day, as seen with the successful first flight of Boeing's new 777X aircraft in January and Airbus' successful autonomous take off using its Airbus A350 XWB in December. But though it seems that the focus is on building new behemoths with larger than ever fuselages and engines, innovators are now turning to upgrading the interiors of aircraft.

It may seem that all aircraft interiors look the same in their configurations - row after row of cramped seats that can span 10 inches wide in some economy cabins - but it wasn't always like that and many long to return to the days when air travel was more passenger-friendly.

Though the golden age of aviation is over, new renditions of possible aircraft interior configurations submitted to Hamburg Aviation's Crystal Cabin Award, which judges innovations in aircraft interiors, show not only what the future of air travel may look like, but how that future is closer than we think.

Here's a look at what travellers can potentially expect from the planes of the future.

One of the most vocal proponents of new aircraft interiors has been aircraft manufacturers themselves, including Airbus.

Airbus has been slowly upgrading the physical features of its cabins with every new aircraft under the Airspace cabin program. Whether it be introducing mood lighting or increasing the capacity of overhead storage bins, the improvements have helped maximise the use of the cabins for a better passenger experience.

Airbus, in partnership with Safran, also recently introduced a concept where the cargo area of an aircraft would be converted for passenger use. Such uses for the extra space included a gym, yoga studio, and sleeping quarters.

Its connected-cabin concept is part of the Airspace Cabin Vision 2030 and uses interconnected technology to ensure a smoother flight for both passengers and crews.

A fast-spreading trend in redesigning aircraft interiors is proving to be open concept cabins, with some airlines removing the barriers that separate cabins to give their aircraft a more open feel.

As aircraft are basically elongated tubes, it's easy to feel claustrophobic when an airline chooses to install excessive barriers in between cabins. Though it does stimulate some jealousy from economy class passengers, airlines have been moving towards breaking down barriers between economy and premium cabins.

The move is two-fold: it not only gives the aircraft a more open feel but also gives airlines more room for additional seats. While business class cabins are often divided by galleys that can't be removed, the borders between premium economy and economy are becoming more and more invisible.

Innovators are also looking at tackling comfort in the economy cabin.

Designed for volume and not personal space, the economy class cabin is where passengers are the most cramped and get the lowest quality of rest. An empty row in economy can be used as a lie-flat seat since one can lay down and stretch out, but beds in the economy take that to the next level.

The trend is already growing in business class, with airlines such as Qatar Airways offering a double bed in its Qsuite product, but economy hasn't been so fortunate. The set up is ideal for family travel and has the added benefit of actually getting a full night's rest in economy.

Similar products are already in operation with Air New Zealand and All Nippon Airways on its Airbus A380 aircraft that fly exclusively between Tokyo and Honolulu. The seats feature sturdier leg rests that can be fixed parallel to the seat cushion to form a couch.

Though already some of the best seats in the house, first-class seating can also get an upgrade.

The typical layout of a first-class cabin on a domestic flight on a narrow-body aircraft is 2-2. Though it maximizes the potential revenue in the cabin for the airline, it doesn't offer passengers a great deal of privacy in its current form.

That doesn't mean that all hope is lost as Delta Air Lines recently unveiled its first-class seats of the future. Among its top features is head-level privacy dividers that give the sense of a private experience while sitting next to a fellow traveller.

While some renditions focused on making aircraft cabin's more efficient, others focused on the potential luxuries that aircraft could feature.

While spas are not commonplace in the skies, other luxuries such as onboard showers and in-flight bars are. Emirates Airlines offers the use of a shower for its first-class passengers as well as an in-flight bar.

Though in-flight bars were once commonplace, only a handful of airlines offer the luxury today. Among them are Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, and Qatar Airways.

Rather than take up space on the plane, some airlines offer spa services in their lounges for passengers to indulge in before the flight.

Some concepts seek to offer panoramic views.

Window seats are already preferred by a large segment of travellers due to the additional entertainment they offer, but traditional aeroplane windows are only so limited in their size and what you can see out of them.

New planes feature larger windows and exterior cameras, but ideas have been floated to transform cargo areas into observation decks almost, as well as put screens on cabin walls that give the appearance of an all-window aircraft.

Emirates took a unique approach to this challenge, offering virtual window seats in its first-class suites on Boeing 777-200 aircraft using exterior cameras. The optical illusions give middle suites with no direct window access the feeling of being more open, while also offering the in-flight entertainment that only an exterior view can.

Other concepts, however, look more like a hostel or capsule hotels.

Though they do provide a place for passengers in economy to lay down, the concept does look a bit cramped, rejecting the notion of open concept. The bench seating also doesn't look too comfortable.

Others look like offices.

Business travellers view flights differently from leisure travellers in that the latter often uses the time to relax and sleep, the former views it as an opportunity to get work done. While business class seats typically feature ample space for work, economy seats only offer tray tables that are rendered almost useless when the seat ahead of you reclines.

Having an in-flight conference table would help alleviate that problem, though it would sacrifice more seats than it's probably worth. While the conference table idea itself is not an entirely new concept for aircraft such as the president's Air Force One and other VIP-configured aircraft with bounds of space to fill, other airlines have recognised the need for a place to stretch out and do work someplace that isn't their seat.

Some look like a commuter train at rush-hour.

One thing that current cabin products aren't great at is group travel. Linear, forward-facing rows mean that if you're travelling with multiple people, communication or interaction isn't easy.

Reversible seats would allow for passenger groups to face each other and allow for better interaction than if they were scattered across rows. Rear-facing seats used to be common, and still are on passenger trains, but ultimately took up too much space for them to be viable.

While normally overlooked in terms of in-flight comfort, flight crews can also get in on the trend.

Flight attendants typically sit in cabin jump seats that are low to the ground and don't allow for reclining or stretching out. While larger aircraft have dedicated crew rest areas that feature bunk beds, smaller aircraft don't have the same luxury.

Concepts as simple as a reclining jump seat can go a long way to aid flight attendant comfort, especially on long flights.

Some products of the future are already flying today.

Virgin Atlantic recently introduced The Loft on its newest flagship aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000 XWB, replacing the in-flight bars that the airline is partly known for. Virgin Atlantic decided to offer business-class passengers a place to retreat to whether it be to socialise, work, or even give presentations.

The screens that line the social area can also be connected to a passenger's device, giving them the opportunity to control what's on the screen. Turbulence also isn't a factor as the sofas are fitted with seatbelts so passengers can spend nearly the entire flight there if they wanted.

Along with Virgin Atlantic, All Nippon Airways is showing that the future of air travel is closer than we think.

The Japanese airline recently debuted its new business class product, THE Room, on flights to New York and London from Tokyo. The product features one of the largest seats of any business class product, extending the seat cushion from wall to wall.

It not only gives the seat an open feeling, it always helps when the seat is in lie-flat mode as it gives occupants room to stretch out into different sleeping positions. Its in-flight entertainment screen is also one of the largest and highest resolution screens of any business class seat, offering a 4K 24-inch viewing experience.
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These 12 aeroplane interior cabin designs could be the future of air travel, from beds in economy class to an onboard spa

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Innovators are setting their sights on reimagining aircraft interiors for the benefit of passengers. Renditions submitted to Hamburg Aviation's Crystal Cabin Award show what the aircraft of the future may look like if innovators have their way. Such concepts include beds in economy class, onboard spas, and open concept aircraft.

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During the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) conference and exhibition in Orlando, Boeing announced it has delivered its first BBJ MAX to a customer, and that the aircraft is now headed for completions. The airframer also revealed a new Genesis cabin concept for the BBJ MAX.

The Genesis design, which was created by the SkyStyle design firm founded by Max Pardo and Lucas Colombo, draws inspiration from nature and from the skies themselves, including starlight detailing overhead.

Relying on grays, blues and dark woods, with silver trim, Genesis recalls the aesthetic of the opening of the Ridley Scott film Prometheus at Iceland's Dettifoss waterfall.

Like the film, Genesis transitions quickly into space-ship sleek.

Genesis is a stark contrast to the previously revealed BBJ MAX design by the firm of Alberto Pinto, with its warm shades and classic furnishings. But both cabin options offer comfortable space for VVIPs to meet, work and rest on longhaul journeys. The BBJ MAX twinjet is capable of flying 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km).

"From an aviation designer's perspective, the BBJ MAX is incredibly appealing because there is so much more interior space to realize one's vision," said Max Pardo. "And since the MAX flies ultra-long-distances, the owners are looking for a comfortable lounge, multi-function conference area and a large master suite to ensure the ultimate flight experience."

The new Genesis design gives Boeing its own future-perfect cabin to compete with the Melody cabin that Airbus first envisioned for its ACJ320neo Family aircraft.

Interestingly, Airbus revealed that it will deliver the first of its ACJ320neo aircraft to Acropolis Aviation, UK, with a custom Alberto Pinto-designed cabin selected by the client.

Like the Boeing design, it delivers warmth and the comforts of home with abundant luxury and glossy finishes. The Acropolis Aviation jet will be completed at AMAC in Basle, Switzerland, and be repainted with a custom livery for delivery later this year.

There is stiff competition between Airbus and Boeing for the longhaul business jet market, with both manufacturers differentiating their larger jet options from smaller business jets by highlighting operational performance and the passenger experience.

Boeing claims to offer a lower cost of ownership, comparable to smaller jets, with fewer shop visits over the service life of the aircraft. It also touts the larger cabin "more than three times the cabin area as most competing business jets" and lower cabin altitude for passenger well-being on longer journeys.

Thus far, Boeing has secured 20 orders for BBJ MAX models, the most recent sale to Seacons Trading Ltd, as announced this summer during the Farnborough International Airshow.

Airbus last reported sales of the new ACJ models in August of this year, saying it had secured orders for six ACJ320neos and three ACJ319neos. The ACJ319neo hasa range of up to 6,750 nm/12,500 km with capacity for eight passengers, while the ACJ320neo can fly 25 passengers 6,000 nm/11,100 km. These ranges allow flights of up to 15 hours on the ACJ319neo and up to 13 hours on the ACJ320neo.

Airbus flew an ACJ319 aircraft for its NBAA display this week. The VVIP charter jet is operated by K5 Aviation. Like Boeing, Airbus focused on touting more room onboard for longhaul comfort.

"An Airbus corporate jet gives wings to more productive and sociable lifestyles in the sky than traditional business jets, while shrinking the distance between continents in elegantly affordable style," said ACJ president Benoit Defforge.

Greg Laxton, head of Boeing Business Jets said of the new BBJ MAX cabin design: "BBJ MAX interiors have always been a sharp departure from the cramped cabins of smaller business jets, and the Genesis design is yet another example of our exclusive cabin capabilities."

Now both manufacturers can claim they run hot and cold, classic and space-aged. The affluent customers and charters who buy these jets will ultimately decide how their cabins are configured.
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Boeing debuts new Genesis space-age BBJ MAX cabin design at NBAA - Runway Girl

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During the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) conference and exhibition in Orlando, Boeing announced it has delivered its first BBJ MAX to a customer, and that the aircraft is now headed for completions. The airframer also revealed a new Genesis cabin concept for the BBJ MAX.

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A number of invaluable insights were highlighted with the aid of a low fidelity cabin mockup. One key insight was that traditional overhead cabin baggage storage would not be possible within the limitations of the current fuselage envelope.

BOOM and Katapult looked at a number of alternative cabin storage solutions, landing on an 'under-seat cabin storage solution' that gave the passenger the flexibility and security that they were after, but also met the condensed seat pitch requirements while still giving the passenger generous in flight legroom.

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A number of invaluable insights were highlighted with the aid of a low fidelity cabin mockup. One key insight was that traditional overhead cabin baggage storage would not be possible within the limitations of the current fuselage envelope.

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Collaborative & Social Space Design After COVID-19 | Steelcase

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SEO Meta Description: As important as social & collaborative spaces are to offices, many changes will need to be made to accommodate health and safety in the post-COVID world.

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The most annoying part of any meal service mid-flight is when a passenger wants to get past the flight attendant and squeeze down the narrow aisle. The Cart line is a solution to this very common problem. You see, Murphy's Law is always at play ... you will always get the urge to use the restroom just when its next to impossible! So it's either this functional cart that gets stowed overhead or upgrade to First Class.

Designers: Chiao-Chun Ni, SU-Min Wu, Kuan-Ting Chen & Yao-Ting Huang

Slide Rail
The cart is guided by a set of rails overhead.

Brake Device & Handle
The brake makes the cart steadier and safer when overhead, avoiding collapse caused by turbulence. The breaks are automatically activated when the attendant is not pushing the device.

Ergonomic
This design also benefits the ergonomy of the attendants. When getting things in our out of the cart they need not bend down, this avoiding long term occupational injuries.

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The most annoying part of any meal service mid-flight is when a passenger wants to get past the flight attendant and squeeze down the narrow aisle. The Cart line is a solution to this very common problem. You see, Murphy's Law is always at play ...

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- Passengers pre-order meals when purchasing flight tickets
- Meals are prepped based on orders, loaded and docked at the galley

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Atasha concept designed for Imaginactive"Atasha is a robot flight assistant designed to interact with aircraft passengers on short regional routes." @charlesbombardier project idea.Visit Imaginactive.org for more information and more concepts like this....

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AUTOMEAL IN CONTEXT
Economy Cabin

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One aspect of my latest visit to Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse that I had not yet found the time to write about is the vision the European aircraft manufacturer has of the future of aviation. I am not referring to the next iteration of the A320 or even the state-of-the-art A350, but to how air travel is going to feel like decades into the future.

Just as it was difficult to predict the emergence of the internet as a world-chaging phenomenon only 25 years ago, it is also impossible to predict with total accuracy how technology advances are going to shape the way we fly. However, aircraft have very long development cycles and manufacturers like Airbus are already thinking decades ahead, even if not all the technologies that they are envisaging are currently available.

Airbus experts flew in from Hamburg to give us a briefing on a very interesting approach to aircraft technology innovation: biomimicry, that is, looking at nature and imitating the solutions provided my millions of years of evolution.

Besides aero-dynamical improvements brought about by advances in the science of materials, perhaps the most eye-catching aspects of Airbus' 2050 envisioned aircrat are its U-shaped twin tail and the rear fuselage-embedded engines, passengers ought to benefit a lot from the implementation of bionic solutions to cabin interiors.

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The aircraft of the future: biomimicry and Airbus' vision - Allplane

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One aspect of my latest visit to Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse that I had not yet found the time to write about is the vision the European aircraft manufacturer has of the future of aviation.

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Airplane food service hasn't changed much since the introduction of the wheeled trolley, but some designers think it's time to toss out the galleys and trays - and try something completely different.

Bernadette Berger, associate creative director at Seattle-based design firm TEAGUE, imagines that trolley service could be replaced by automat-style ordering.

Passengers could peruse the menu choices and place their order on an app, then collect it from one of the lockers at new self-service stations onboard, using near field communications (NFC). These in-flight automats could offer more than food, Berger says. Airlines could also supply comfort items like neck pillows, eye-masks, amenity kits, headphones, or duty-free luxury goods.

"We're looking for ways to increase choice for passengers and the general drive for having 'what I want when I want it'," Berger said.

Berger also believes that airlines could install robotic galleys for food delivery. Meal preparation would be relocated to the belly of the plane, leaving more space in the main cabin for passenger seating. Food trays would be lifted to a service station where passengers could collect them when they are ready to eat.

Introducing self-service in-flight meals, controlled by apps and automation, could be better for the environment. It would help airlines reduce food waste and the trash generated by food packaging. It could also reduce the weight of equipment onboard, which would burn less fuel and generate a lower CO2 footprint.

"This was a big topic that we had when we were first ideating," Berger told Travel + Leisure. "We talked about the packaging - big galley complexes with smaller boxes. There's a lot of redundancy."

The data gathered from processing inflight meals and sales of in-flight comforts could help airlines refine their services, even improve food and beverage quality.

"Airlines could partner with other luxury brands and other food brands, and have co-branded products," Berger said. "You can imagine where an airline could lean into partnerships with brands like Starbucks. It could be a better food experience for the passenger, but also offer name-brand recognition."

Airlines might also offer food pre-ordering from airport restaurants, to be served in-flight through one of the automated tray delivery systems.

"The next step is tying this thinking to the additional points along the journey," Berger said. "Ordering through an app and tying that to the services and the restaurants that you experience at the airport, hotel, or other transportation hubs."

Anna Petrova, a design student at Stroganov Moscow State University of Industrial and Applied Arts, also envisioned a new method for food delivery automation, using lifts and tracks to deliver food to passengers. She wanted to address the discomfort of having to stay in your seat while food trolleys clog up the aisles.

"[Passengers] face a lot of inconvenience," Petrova told Travel + Leisure. "I faced this problem during one of my trips. My flight lasted just six hours but it was very uncomfortable to seat near galley and to see frequently running stewards and often coming people asking for additional glass of water. And also it bothered me very much to see a 'huge metal case' from which they take out our food."

Petrova's solution might also make flight attendants happy. By her estimation, based on flight attendant interviews, there are a lot of repetitive movements in the traditional airline food service process that can cause aches and pains. The height-adjustable trolley moves with an overhead guided rail, so it's easier for flight attendants to push and there's no bending required to remove the trays. The rail trolley is also designed to get out of the way, so it does not block the aisles when passengers need to get through.

Like Berger, Petrova was interested in making in-flight meals more eco-friendly. She designed food storage boxes that could be shredded along with tableware, to better manage food waste. The tableware would be made from cornstarch, which is easy to decompose, instead of plastics. She also thinks airlines could add an automated drinks dispenser onboard, which would cut back on beverage waste, while making it easier for passengers to stay hydrated.

A complete revolution in airplane meal service would be welcome, but Berger believes that we are likely to see incremental changes with some of these ideas being implemented over time.

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The Future of Airplane Food Involves Robots, Apps, and Automats

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Airplane food service hasn't changed much since the introduction of the wheeled trolley, but some designers think it's time to toss out the galleys and trays - and try something completely different. Bernadette Berger, associate creative director at Seattle-based design firm TEAGUE, imagines that trolley service could be replaced by automat-style ordering.

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Last 3 rows are now quarantine zone

Can show scale by putting design in context with passengers

Reconsider having 4 aisles for economy cabin

Announcement on screen with personalised message "[name] [seat] order is coming in [wait time]" with path of cart moving through the cabin
- also show same trolley on passenger screen collecting used trays follow by another cart serving drinks
- have 2 screens on each side; screen show [name] this is your order [meal] [seat] to acknowledge passenger
- airline send reminder 1 week before
- show food in sealed boxes instead of tray with small drinks

Scheduled service for drinks announcement on screen; everything booked on screen for any extra services.
- coffee/tea reuseable cups

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Seattle-based design company Teague shares design concepts for improving in-flight meal service experience for airlines and passengers.

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Aircraft Interiors Expo 2020 would have introduced many innovative ideas, designs and space-efficient hardware to enhance the aircraft cabin environment. Let's take a look at some of these great ideas from the comfort of our own homes...

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Digital end-to-end services
The increasing complexity and shortening lifecycles of cabin products require new types of engineering solutions that can manage higher speed, volume and complexity. Indeed there could be new demands of cabin design in the post-Covid-19 world, which could increase demand. Digitalisation is already helping many engineering disciplines improve product performances and reduce costs and time to market. However, many companies experience operational 'pain points' within their digitalisation initiatives for development and production phases, and so have not defined a full digital transformation strategy for their value chain.

Engineering and R&D services company, Altran, is offering a new way to innovate, with a digital end-to-end product development lifecycle that combines all relevant data from digital functional models, the digital mock-up and digital twin, and in-service data into one single aircraft cabin data model to provide the digital operational value at any stage of the product lifecycle.

Various technologies such as 5G, IoT and robotics, as well as tools and methods such as MBSE and Big Data, can be applied to be fully flexible for implementing changes and innovations in all phases.

XL Bin for the A320 Airspace cabin

FACC has developed a new 'Airspace XL Bin' for the Airbus A320 Airspace cabin, claimed to be the biggest overhead stowage compartment in the short and medium-haul aircraft segment. FACC developed the XL Bins in close cooperation with Airbus, with the newly designed overhead stowage compartment offering space for eight items of baggage instead of the previous five, with a total weight capacity of 96kg, while the unit itself only weighs 26kg - the result of substantial engineering efforts.

Space-efficient galley system

AIM Altitude would have unveiled two new projects at AIX 2020: an innovative galley system and a flexible destination space, both designed to make flights more comfortable, especially in long haul.

Arca is a galley system based on trending meal-service innovations within the industry. The design makes use of a new meal-pack system, which reduces the galley space required and enables a rethinking of galley carts, fundamentally removing the design limitations of galleys. The space-efficient design of Arca gives airlines the possibility of adding an extra row of seating or destination monuments in the space gained. In addition,

Wellness monuments

The Ultraflex concept monument configuration revealed by AIM Altitude at AIX 2019 was a real talking point, offering areas for exercise, viewing sports and private dining. For 2020, the design has been reimagined and reinvented to create ReFlex, a configuration designed for the Door 2 entrance to wide-bodied aircraft.

AIM Altitude describes ReFlex as a "credible product offering" and it builds on the themes of wellness, with areas designed to combat the adverse effects of long-haul flights. Multi-use units provide flexibility for airlines, allowing them to offer creative welcoming spaces, healthy food and drink service options, and areas for group or individual activities.

Meet Sophy

Sophy is a smart trolley system designed to control and optimise catering operations, offering more than just tracking trolley status and performance. Developed by Safran Cabin, Sophy provides airlines with a 'helicopter view' of day-to-day operations, offering insights on main processes and the main parts of a trolley's journey, including handovers, cleaning, maintenance, in-flight service rounds and more.

The slimline Sophy device is fitted within a trolley, where it can collect, share and communicate real-time, accurate data with other Sophy-activated equipment through a 'mesh network', providing insights for airline operators.

According to Safran Cabin, a trolley equipped with Sophy can save catering costs by preventing and minimising inefficiencies caused by mishandling, misplacement or misinformation, and remove the risk of a trolley being left behind during a turnaround or at a catering facility.

Safran Cabin performed catering and on board research for more than five years prior to the creation of Sophy, and partnered with Undagrid, an Internet of Things (IoT) specialist, to develop the backbone of Sophy's smart technology. This IoT development enables Sophy-equipped trolleys to have connectivity with Safran Cabin's Smart Galley, portable devices, and other systems throughout the catering process. More than 20 airlines have also provided input onto the development process and the product is now ready to launch into market.

Multiple galley innovations

Aircraft interiors specialist, Bucher has developed a partition wall with a dimmable window, which can be installed between a galley area and the passenger cabin. The electrically switchable glass in the wall is an elegant alternative to mechanical flaps or curtains and will enable cabin crew to meet direct view requirements at the touch of a button during key stages of flight such as take-off and landing, while protecting crew and passenger privacy at other times.

Bucher has also created a range of enhancements to its ArctiCart inflight trolley for chilled meals. These enhancements include optimising its capacity to feature up to seven standard-sized drawers, and creating a robust frame to give the trolley maximum strength and resistance.

Working together with SkyTender Solutions, Bucher has also developed a world first: a trolley with charging capability for a coffee machine. This technology will enable the trolley to be charged when docked in the galley, which then provides power to a coffee machine, ensuring that coffee is kept hot throughout cabin service.

As part of its Innovation Galley, Bucher has designed a new generation of changeable work table inlays, and a lighting system designed to help guide passengers when they are passing the galley to go to the toilet. These new products are designed to be easily installed by MRO providers as part of an aircraft retrofit.

Coffee? Tea? 16g!

When a cabin attendant seat (CAS) is installed on a partition wall, that wall has to be subjected to 16g dynamic qualification tests - a major engineering challenge. EFW has developed a partition for Airbus's SpaceFlex rear galley and lavatory configuration, which has successfully withstood these enormous forces and gained qualification, and indeed has now been installed in the A320 with 35 airlines.

Five-abreast single-aisles

HAECO Cabin Solutions has created a new Premium seat in a configuration designed to add up to 25% additional passenger count in the same footprint. The key is HAECO's single-aisle five-abreast Eclipse cabin, an all-new approach to narrow-body, long-haul business class configurations. The cabin features a staggered, offset seating design, which can enhance privacy and comfort while maximising cabin density.

HAECO has also developed complementary Eclipse monuments and stowage solutions that promise to further optimise the cabin.

Dimmable windows for Airbus

Passengers who have enjoyed dimmable windows on Boeing airplanes can now also enjoy the experience on Airbus aircraft, as the latest generation of Gentex Corporation's electronically dimmable windows (EDWs) are now being offered by Airbus. These electrochromic windows allow passengers to alter the darkness of the aircraft windows while still enabling them to view the scenery outside.

Gentex EDWs feature high-speed transition between clear and dark, and a new ultra-dark low-end transmission. Compared to previous designs, the latest EDWs darken twice as fast and become 100 times darker, effectively eliminating more than 99.999% of visible light, according to the company.

The Airbus EDWs were uniquely designed to be a single line-replaceable unit in order to make installation and maintenance easier. They also feature a longer-lasting, scratch-resistant dust cover.

"We worked together with Airbus to integrate the latest dimmable windows technology while further enhancing it with an additional speciality coating," explains Gentex president and CEO, Steve Downing. "The windows benefit aircraft operators and passengers alike, which ultimately enhances the user experience for everyone on board."

Smart windows and more

Solar protection systems expert, Vision Systems has engineered three SPD (suspended particle device) dimmable windows with distinctive characteristics adapted to each cabin class. These windows eliminate shades that block the view and require regular maintenance, while protecting passengers from unwanted daylight or glare, and include innovative features such as multizoning, lighting, electroluminescent touch control and information displays.

Vision Systems has also created a smart partition that can display videos. This divider can remain transparent or opaque when no content is being displayed.
The company also says that a "breakthrough feature" in premium shades will be unveiled this year. All these innovations can be synchronised and controlled using in-house developed cabin management systems, via individual panels, IFE tablets or flight attendant panels.

Fall back in love with flying

Recognising the threat that a strengthening environmental focus poses to aviation and air travel, Mirus believes that aircraft cabin design can help.

Mirus is an aircraft seating company, but it has taken a broader view to answer growing environmental concerns in the form of Project Aethon, a future aircraft concept that incorporates a sustainable mass transportation system with an enhanced passenger experience.

"Our main aim for this project was to hark back to a time when flying was an adventure, when it was an experience people looked forward to. In essence, we want to help people fall in love with flying again," says Mirus' industrial design lead, Chris Robinson. "We hope Project Aethon will act as a kick-starter to the industry to think in revolutionary ways when it comes to sustainability."

Lighting innovation

The Sirona air filter is claimed to be the world's first aerospace air-cleaning unit designed to be integrated into a business or first-class seat environment. The air filter, developed by Beadlight, reduces passengers' risk of contracting illness on board, and gives them an overt visual benefit as the unit is elegantly designed with flowing lines and carefully considered angles, discreetly backlit with LED light. Sirona has been shortlisted for the Crystal Cabin Awards.

Beadlight has also created Spinnaker, an ultra-thin OLED panel that creates a large, diffused light window of light that helps generate a warm ambience within the seat environment. The base houses a capacitive switch with varying brightness levels, and CANBus control is enabled so that all lights can be centrally controlled in the cabin when needed.

The first glass reading light

Another interesting launch is the Jade reading light, claimed by Schott to be the first aviation light ever made from glass. The innovative light was designed with PriestmanGoode, with an integrated ambient light halo featuring a sleek full glass cover that is as intuitive to use as a smartphone. Thanks to capacitive touch technology, swiping allows passengers to adjust light position and brightness to create their own illumination experience.

The homogeneous tempered safety glass cover is robust, scratch-resistant and shatterproof, and does away with technical components such as joints, arms and angles. Instead of relying on bulky optical lenses for light transport, this product powers thin fibre-optic light guides with white LEDs, and thanks to the spatial separation of LED and light guides as well as the flexibility of fibre optics, Jade has a mere 0.5in installation depth, allowing for good integration into a seat and easy front installation and deinstallation.

Available in landscape and portrait format, the light can be printed with any décor, such as standard or metallic RAL colours, to imitations of stone, fabric or ornaments, or even 3D effects. Jade can also be certified for all relevant aviation and OEM requirements.

The light is shortlisted for the Crystal Cabin Awards 2020.

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The latest cabin design enhancements - Aircraft Interiors International

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From monuments to reading lights, Aircraft Interiors Expo 2020 would have introduced many innovative ideas, designs and space-efficient hardware to enhance the aircraft cabin environment. Let's take a look at some of these great ideas from the comfort of our own homes...

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Business cabin layout stays the same

Premium economy & Economy seating 1-2-2-1

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**number of rows in the economy cabin are reduced for the render**

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Galley is transformed into docking stations for Automeals

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Automeal uses touchless control technology - passenger wave hand to open cart and collect meals

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Designed for Automeal screens and seat screens

Meal service uses meal box concept proposed by Altey Huzrev https://www.behance.net/gallery/77978585/Turkish-Airlines-Meal?tracking_source=search_projects_recommended%7Cairplane%20meal%20