The technology in air travel will make a great change to all traveler’s around the world. Commercial aviation and its business model have undergone a huge evolution since the first flights were available to the public. From being a privilege for a few to being an accessible means of transportation for the majority of the population. In this attempt to democratize the possibility of travel, manufacturers and airlines are thinking of new methods to make every flight profitable with ways to introduce more seats.
I travel enough – in miles and times – by plane a year that every time I see a patent story my hairs stand on end. The airlines in their continuous effort to adjust expenses ( the famous cost per available seat / mile ) have come up with some very daring and absurd ideas . Fortunately, only one of those that we bring you today is real but who knows what the future holds.
11 seats per row, it will be real for years to come
In 2015 Airbus failed to sell a single A380 . The larger capacity commercial airliner did not quite convince while the Boeing 777 and the A350 attracted the interest of airlines for their lower fuel consumption. That made a year later the aircraft manufacturer decided to take the A380 and give it a spin to improve the CASM. His solution was to create lines of 11 passengers.
11 seats in a 3 X 5 X 3 layout, meaning a 45% chance of ending up in the middle. To achieve this, Airbus proposes that each passenger be 45.72 centimeters (18 inches) wide in their seat. A narrow size but superior to that of other low cost airlines. The first flights with this row distribution are expected to be operational in a very short time.
Goodbye seat, hello aircraft bike saddle
Airbus has many ideal for getting more passengers on each flight and the one we have just seen is the most realistic of them all. The seats in the image that you have just above are almost vertical, a recent patent implied that the aircraft manufacturer had in mind narrower seats as if it were that of a bicycle for example.
This folding chair offers very little support to the back and neck but at least it has armrests so that we do not get stuck in that space with the person next to us. A very claustrophobic system that at the moment is only a patent. Sure they save a lot of space and weight but it doesn’t seem at all comfortable. Today Airbus has confirmed that these seats will be a reality, and we will be able to see the first A320s with them in countries like Colombia.
Bunk seats to take advantage of space
Another Airbus concept is putting us on top of each other as if it were a kind of bunk. The air travel passengers in the upper row will be closer to the ceiling and those below will have to see the feet of the person on top. The model they propose also suggests that people can lie down completely, something that for long flights is to be appreciated despite the feeling of claustrophobia it produces.
According to Airbus, the model would be viable since the vertical space of the plane could be used more and introduce that second row by changing the distribution of the rows. It does not seem uncomfortable but it does produce the sensation of going like sardines inside the cabin. There are currently no plans to build an aircraft with this design.
Sleeping capsules instead of seats
In this world there are two types of people: those who are able to fall asleep sitting on the plane and those who are not. This Airbus patent seeks to solve the problem of seconds. How? With the sleeping pods , a kind of stacked one-person capsules that would replace part or all of the seats for passengers to travel lying down. In addition, each capsule has a screen in case the user wants to see something during the trip.
Maybe they are not so crazy for long-distance trips, let’s think a Madrid-China, but they are for shorter trips. Not to mention that it would still be necessary to buckle up when taking off and landing, which can be a bit problematic in this design.
The F117 made a commercial plane
The F 117 (popularly known as a phantom plane) could see in the future how its design is adapted to commercial aircraft. Airbus has the patent and in it it proposes a circular distribution that, according to what they explain, would have more space for passengers and would also have greater resistance to the loads induced by the pressurization of the cabin .
Of the proposals that we have seen, it does not seem the most outlandish but it is not a recommended seating model for all those people who get dizzy when they sit against the direction they are moving. In addition, in this case what they propose is to create a very different type of aircraft from the one used today on commercial routes. If it is carried forward one day, we will take time to see it.
Standing passengers? Several airlines consider it
To put more people on the flights, you probably remember when RyanAir said to make trips without seats where all passengers were standing. The Irish have not been the only ones who have thought about this possibility.
In China, the possibility of making flights of this type for short trips was raised several years ago . Fortunately, the idea did not work, but not so much because of the lack of interest from the airlines but for reasons of safety and comfort. Time to time.
Hexagonal distribution: hell is 10,000 meters high
If there is a patent for spooky aircraft seats, it is undoubtedly the Zodiac. A hexagonal design to put even more seats in each row. Are you one of those who, when traveling, prefer to pass from all over the world? We are sorry to tell you that with this system it would not be possible.
In addition to enduring fights with those next to you for the armrest or the partner who does not stop moving on the flight now we will also have to deal with a new problem that you will surely love. Instead of seeing a screen or the back of the front row of seats, we will have another person in front of us . Great fun and great for socializing with new people.
Air travel technology: A nap? With this seat it is possible
To sleep on the plane there are many accessories such as pillows or cushions as strange as this one that seems to be taken from the Telet Store . A patent invites us to leave these accessories at home so that we support our face on a surface that will support our body.
According to this design, we can take out a platform that can be raised and lie on it. Some holes in the eyes, nose and mouth will eliminate the feeling of suffocation. It does not seem the most comfortable proposal but it is quite curious.
Air travel technology: Virtual reality to escape to another world
Finally we have a project for the future: Virtual Reality. For people who have a hard time on flights or who simply do not want to interact with the outdated in-flight entertainment system in front of them (when there is one), this patent proposes that we put on a helmet and start watching immersive images that help us forget ourselves. that we are on a plane .
Due to how expensive it would be to implement it today, it sounds like a very future-oriented project or oriented to first-class passengers. It is quite a curious idea and could be useful for people who are afraid of flying. While it arrives, if it succeeds, we will stay with Virtual Reality on the ground although we can always take a helmet to the plane but do not watch porn with it .
Air travel technology: Removable and modular cabins to save time
Another possibility that some airlines are considering is to get on airplanes in modular cabins as if they were cans of sardines. This is another of Airbus patents , and they are cabins that can be assembled and disassembled from the fuselage to save time when boarding.
At the end of 2016 Airbus took another step in this direction with another patent to create modular cabins . For example, one section could have economy class seating, another section would have first-class bedrooms or rooms with large televisions, and we could even have sections for a bar, spa, gym, or nursery for little ones, come on, the possibilities are huge.
A booth full of LEDs: anti jetlag nightclub
Jet lag is considered a psychological condition that appears when traveling through different time zones, and in 2016 Airbus began delivering very special aircraft with a new system to combat them. They incorporate what the company has called Airspace, an advanced system based on four keys: comfort, atmosphere, service and design.
Among other things, this Airspace incorporates an “intelligent” system of LED lights connected at all times to the length of the flight, the time of the city of departure and the time of arrival, with this you can change the color temperature and imitate the changes natural sunlight. It seems that they turn the interior of the plane into a disco , but they claim that it avoids the biological changes caused by jet lag.
Air travel technology: Giant screens to leave your eyes
From Thales they show us a prototype with a new in-flight entertainment system that basically consists of 21.3-inch touch screens located at the back of each seat. The adoption of screens everywhere has led this company to show its Digital Sky prototype, to watch movies and series in large format.
However, we do not want to think how an eight hour flight can be with such a large and close front screen. In addition to the brightness that would dazzle us. We sincerely believe that carrying your personal laptop would be much more comfortable and even less occupying.
Air travel technology: A little more noise, please
In 2016 Airbus was awarded another patent for a “multi-engine power transmission upgrade system”. With it , the turbines are mounted on the body of the plane instead of having them under the wings, something that would cause some areas of the cabin to not have windows.
But that would not be the worst, since the “graceful” who were touched by the area where these turbines are also “enjoy” more noise and vibrations , which the rest of the cabin would not get rid of either. The system would allow airlines to save money by making better use of energy and fuel … and the consequences would be borne by us as usual.
Will we ever see these patents on a plane?
Every time a patent comes out related to the redesign of the aircraft cabin, the easiest reaction is to be scandalized by the ideas that manufacturers and airlines have to put more passengers in the same amount of space.
It is true that the width of the seats has been reduced over the years and that the companies take more advantage of the space in the warehouse to load the planes and thus amortize as much as possible each trip. Yes, all these ideas that we have seen are aimed at optimizing space, but remember that registering a patent is not synonymous with this being carried out.
They seek to protect ideas and prevent, if they succeed, that other companies copy the design. When they come to light it is interesting to see those concepts and the justifications behind it, but you can breathe easy. The only one you are going to see shortly is the one with the eleven Airbus seats.
It’s not you, it’s the airlines. Evolution of seat widths (in inches) of the four main US carriers up to 2014. From left to right: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways and Soutwest Airlines.
Sure that with the vertical seats, the bunks or the hexagonal distribution win seats but are they systems compatible with the current methods of evacuating an airplane? Can the safety of passengers be guaranteed on a flight where everyone is standing?
We must also remember that not all the ideas that exist to optimize space are so far-fetched. We recently saw Emirates Airlines announce the elimination of first class on some flights to achieve a substantial increase in travelers on the planes. 615 passengers in an A380 that will start operating shortly between the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. 500 euros the cheapest ticket. We may see different technology in air travel buses in near future.
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