The place where the plane is most familiar to the passenger is undoubtedly the cabin. It is where the entire journey takes place and it is expected to be comfortable and pleasant for the passenger. To these precepts is added that it be spacious, enough to accommodate the cabin load, as well as to allow the movement of the crew and the passengers themselves. Last but not least, The cabin must be safe, both structurally and environmentally, Even more so with new challenges emerging, such as the one of health security.
In addition to efficiency, ergonomics and passenger comfort are aspects in which aircraft manufacturers invest a lot of resources and a great dose of imagination.
Given all of the above, aircraft manufacturers are constantly seeking improvements in this area. A recurring challenge is increasing cabin efficiency while simultaneously achieving greater passenger comfort, thereby inviting them to repeat the flying experience.
As mentioned, one of the most important aspects in the design of the cabin is the space utilization. With the passage of time, the evolution of materials makes it feasible less bulky but equally sturdy seat design, These allow for an increase in the available space for each passenger, while maintaining or even improving the comfort offered by the same.
This is also achieved thanks to the design of seats with different geometries. Some airlines, especially for low-range flights, analyze different proposals to encourage the passenger to adopt a more upright posture, which opens the door to the inclusion of additional rows of seats depending on the model.
On the other hand, the designs that they propose would be found there. new reorganizations of the cabin space, For example, the placement of rows of seats facing each other with a table between them, similar to those found on other means of transport, such as the train. An alternative to this idea is the installation of a long table that runs across the cabin longitudinally, with seats opposite each other on both sides, whose positions could be reserved as if from a new class type. business It would be treated.
The extreme in this sense is found in the installation of reconfigurable geometry seats between scales. These seats, located on rails, are designed to be able to be folded and combined with each other, maximizing the available space according to the flights and the occupancy of these seats.
Another very important approach in the design of future cabins is the one that seeks to improve the passenger experience. One way to achieve this is through modifying the cabin environment.
This can be achieved through the installation of more windows or the increase in their size, with the aim of offering greater visibility outside, as can be seen in the design presented by Airbus with its vision for 2050. Concepts like this, which could have posed a challenge decades ago, are now possible thanks to advances in structural design and the improvement of the efficiency of the materials used in aircraft.
For those who advocate for a solution with a more virtual approach, some manufacturers are considering the possibility of installing digital windows. With the use of screens that would cover more or less the interior of the cabin, the aim is to offer a view identical to what would be seen through a glass, which would also allow the projection of multimedia content to the passenger.
In those cases where the goal is to provide a luxury experience, the range of available options is much broader, accommodating the installation of various types of furniture to improve the quality of the flight. From screens, refrigerators, and individual tables to chairs and beds for the passengers.
Having reached this point, it is worth mentioning that there are more eccentric ideas, such as the cabin designs that mimic the famous capsule hotels, in which each passenger would occupy a closed space within the plane where they would travel lying down.
While this option offers more space for the passenger than a conventional seat and is a comfortable option for sleeping on long-haul flights, the idea may be affected by the development of new supersonic models that will shorten the duration of the currently longest routes.
In any case, all the solutions already mentioned can be implemented partially in mixed design cabins, in the same way as Today, different types of seats coexist on the same flight.. The implementation of each of them will depend, to a large extent, as has been mentioned, on the type of aircraft in use, the usual route it covers and the type of passenger it usually carries.
In a more global way, considering the entire cabin as a whole, there are solutions such as: modular cabin, This design was patented by Airbus a few years ago. It proposes the use of cabins that can be detached from the rest of the aircraft once on the ground, to then be reattached to a cabin ready to take off immediately. This would reduce the time spent on the tarmac, and also make it easier to take off during stops. reconfigure such cabins, using some of the advances already mentioned for this purpose.
To these physical designs, new challenges have been added, such as those arising from the appearance of CoVid-19 and aimed at maintaining a certain distance between passengers.
Some of these proposals will become reality in the coming years. It is undeniable that manufacturers are betting on it, as can be seen in the designs they are already presenting for the coming decades. As was the case with the cutting-edge wing devices, known as winglets or sharklets (According to the company that installs them), each one will implement different designs based on their models. What is clear is that before we know it, we will be able to enjoy the advantages of some of these futuristic cabins as passengers.
