April was all about fresh aircraft interiors trends. Well, maybe not so fresh. There were a lot of recurring themes at the show this year: ongoing improvements to Inflight Entertainment and to Inflight Connectivity (read Wi-Fi access), as well as a definite push for greater cabin density. Passengers may not be so amused by the extra seats, but airlines are betting we will be amused enough by inflight movies and tweeting pictures of our inflight meals from the plane that we won’t notice the crunch so much. They could be onto something.
The reality is that there will be more than twice as many of us flying by 2034 and, while aviation infrastructure plans upgrades which will allow for more flights and airlines are buying new aircraft, there are limits to how many aircraft the skies can take and how many flights can take off at any time. This is the business case for airlines putting more seats on airplanes large and small. Well, that and increasing profit margins, obviously.
The ongoing Open Skies debate in the U.S. with the Big 3 U.S. carriers challenging the Big 3 Gulf Carriers is either getting very exciting or just dreadfully boring. I can’t decide.
We also saw some cool technology innovations from airlines and we’d like to see more of that. Like, check this out:
Virgin Australia Brings Google Street View to Its Sydney Airport Lounge, Skift
Google Street View Comes to Planes With SAS’s Interactive Tours, Skift
New Inflight Entertainment System May Make It Harder for Airlines to Bore Us, Skift
Be Prepared for Tech to Fail Says Virgin Atlantic’s Brand Director, Skift
This one is good for a laugh:
The 19 Passenger Types You’ll Meet on Your Next Flight, Skift
Delta Reassures Pet Owners Using Technology, APEX Digital
Emirates CEO Calls U.S. Airlines’ Open Skies Arguments ‘Fallacious’ and ‘Malicious’, Skift
It’s great to see that all the aircraft interiors design know-how goes to making the workplace more pleasant for flight attendants too.
This First-Class Crew Rest Area Will Give You Cabin-Envy, Skift
Airlines Get Comfortable with the Cloud, APEX Digital
Global Passengers More Willing to Pay for In-Flight Wi-Fi Than U.S. Flyers, Skift
The Seat That Offers a New Hope For Airlines in the Aircraft Space Wars, Skift
And in Premium seating this was an exciting development:
The Seat That Erases the Line Between Business Class and First Class, Skift
AvGeeks and SciFi Geeks united in celebrating this awesome livery:
Star Wars Comes to ANA With R2-D2-Themed Dreamliner, Skift
And this is an idea whose time is long overdue.
The Economy Seat Concept That Will Have Passengers Booking the Middle Seat, Skift
This Eco-Friendly Airplane Window Shade Could Be Your Smartphone’s New Best Friend, Skift
The Airline Toilet That Is Set to Revolutionize In-Flight Relief, Skift
Philippe Starck Creates the Ultimate Inflight Objects of Desire, Skift
Mohegan Sun and Incheon Airport To Collaborate on Unique Gaming Resort, Skift
Back in the day, we made all our promotional products in-house from handbags and duffle bags made from aircraft seats to totes made from life jackets. Now it’s fashionable–which is great for the planet.
Earth-Friendly Fashion: JetBlue’s Old Uniforms Find New Life as Swanky Bags, APEX Digital
Big Three U.S. Airlines Release Document Cache in Open Skies Debate, Skift
New Adjustable Economy Seat Concept Makes Room for One and All, Skift
A Peek Inside the Four Seasons Private Jet, and It’s Glorious, But…, Skift
Density and distraction drive new aircraft interiors trends » Our wrapup of the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2015, Airlinetrends.com
Frankfurt Airport Will Invest $3.2 Billion To Add Its Terminal of the Future, Skift
Dallas Bets BIG on In-Flight Destination Marketing, APEX Digital
Health App Might One Day Tell Flight Crew When You’re Blue or Green, Skift
ANA Uses Toyota Racing Car Expertise for New Economy Seats, Skift
Singapore Airlines Used Apple Watch as a Great Excuse to Rethink All Its Apps, Skift
LATAM Airlines Blends Cultures in Launch of Largest VIP Lounge In South America, Skift
American Airlines’ $2 Billion Makeover Brings Fresh Look to Tired Lounges, Skift
The New Business Class Seating Concept That Does So Much More With Less, Skift