And it’s a good thing!
A consensus has been reached, and there’s quite literally no way to make the economy passenger experience any more cramped. Believe us – they’ve tried. Seats are now the slimmest of slim, and leading hedge fund executives have run the numbers to ensure not a single inch of legroom is left in excess. So where’s next? According to Airbus – it’s the cargo deck.
Before you throw your hands up in the air, this is actually a good thing. Airlines have expressed desire in creating transformable spaces in potentially unused cargo space. Be it a sleeping pod, meeting room, kids play room or just a lounge area to stretch the legs – airlines are keen on the prospect of converting excess room into extra bucks. Could you imagine a space with two sets of bunk beds for a family of four to sleep? Or perhaps nap rooms bookable by the hour for economy passengers?
Transformable Spaces
So how would it work? Cargo palettes and containers come in a single standard size and could make for the perfect convertible space. Easy on, easy off and easily switched from a series of bunk beds to a flying office space. Perhaps you’d like to “upgrade” to a nap room below deck? This is a brilliant way to transform the dwindling passenger experience on the main deck into a potentially transformative experience below deck. Presently, cabin crew are able to sneak above or below deck to enjoy sleeping births, and after these spaces, which are arguably nicer than first class seats, went viral – people started to think.
New Partnership
According to FlightGlobal, Airbus has partnered Zodiac Aerospace, a leading seat manufacturer to explore these transformative new pods. This is significantly good news for Zodiac, which has recently struggled with brand reputation after slow delivery of seat orders for American Airlines. It’s hard to picture exactly how these spaces may fit into the economy, business and first class hierarchy, but anything that remotely promises a good nights sleep or a place for an economy passenger to stretch their legs is good news to us! Airbus aims to launch these new pods on A330 and A350 aircraft by the year 2020.
