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New Aircraft Cabin Design Mixes Business And Economy Passengers

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The Aircraft Interiors Expo was held in Hamburg, Germany either this month and like in years past, the weeks surrounding the event were full of new concepts in the cabin design space. One of the more interesting approaches came from Formation Design, an Atlanta-based design group specializing in consumer product development. That concept, called a blended cabin, combines lie-flat business class seats with lie-flat premium economy seats in staggered rows, alternating between classes of service down the aisle.

Though the blended cabin is still a concept at this stage, the design has caught the attention of both airline manufacturers and passengers. Premium carriers, particularly those in the Middle East, compete aggressively for prestige in the cabin design space, using opulent amenities like in-flight apartments and showers to maintain their projection of luxuriant brands. With a blended cabin design, first or business class passengers could get industry-standard lie-flat seats while premium economy passengers could get a major upgrade with their own variety of lie flat seats.

For first and business class passengers as well as the crew, the blended design may be a harder sell. Much of the value of a business or first class cabin lies in the relative calm of the surrounding environment, and with economy and premium passengers mixed together in what Skift calls a "socialist" cabin, the cultures may clash. Operating cabin service across multiple classes in the same zone can be a challenge as well -- premium flight attendants and meal service would need to interlace with main cabin service, a significant challenge in cramped airplane aisles.

Still, any value lost in marketing to business and first class passengers can likely be made up by increased interest from the premium economy space. Many carriers including American Airlines are expanding their premium economy products in an effort to tap into affluent middle class customers, and a lie flat product would surely differentiate a carrier from the rest of the pack. Though the Formation design is still only a concept, it may point to the real future of in-cabin experiences.