On the face of it, from the average traveller’s point of view, the difference between the exterior of one commercial aircraft compared to another is pretty minimal. This is not surprising given the influence of aerodynamics means that the most efficient flying shapes will always heavily impact an aircraft’s exterior design.
With this being the case the interior of aircraft from an airlines perspective becomes ever more important. Interiors help distinguish airlines from their rivals and create a comfortable environment that will ideally make customers come back again and again.
However, OEMs such as Airbus, still have a big influence on how an aircraft’s interior is shaped as manufacturing and in-service costs and performance for their customers are also an important factor. Additionally, industry certification standards relating to Fire, Smoke and Toxicity (FST) have a big impact on the sorts of materials that can be used.
Wider possibilities
When Airbus began designing the A350 XWB’s interior it took the opportunity to improve the passenger experience as much as possible. This is largely due to the fact that its wider fuselage meant there was more room.
The A350 interior has now evolved into what Airbus calls its ‘Airspace by Airbus’ interior brand launched at the Farnborough Airshow this year. This design concept will also feature in the A330neo aircraft when it comes into full scale production later this year.
Jochen Werner, Airbus chief designer for cabin and cargo comments: “The philosophy of our ‘Airspace by Airbus’ cabin is to be the backdrop for the airlines’ brands. An airline’s brand is of utmost importance as it helps drive consistency, differentiation from their competitors as well as loyalty from their customers. This can be achieved in a number of ways: through the use of dedicated trim and finish, seat covers, curtains, carpets etc. and most importantly with lighting. The A350 XWB has the most powerful mood lighting system in the sky. In addition to conveying the airline brand it can also be used to enhance mood and atmosphere – creating a great customer experience.”
One of Airbus’ first customers to order the A350 is the Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific. Its first A350-900 was delivered to the airline at the end of May. Cathay Pacific has ordered 21, A350-900 variants which seat 280 passengers.
Cathay’s configuration features 38 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats and 214 seats in standard economy class.
Paul Cruttenden, marketing and digital sales manager for Cathay Pacific, explains: “The quiet cabin, panoramic windows, LED mood lighting with 16 million possible colours and huge overhead lockers all contribute to a more comfortable and relaxing journey in all cabin classes.
“The design of many of the cabin features has been carefully considered to give passengers the best sleeping experience, the best entertainment, and to offer them greater control over how they want to use the space, whether for working or to relax.”
There are less obvious advances that improve passenger’s time on the aircraft, vital for an operator like Cathay which operates many longer-haul flights.
“One of the most significant changes is the lower cabin altitude,” Cruttenden continues. “Traditionally, aircraft cabins are pressurised to a cabin altitude of 8,000ft but in the A350, the cabin is pressurised to 6,000ft. This means there is more oxygen in the air, and that can make a big difference to reduce passenger fatigue.
“The aircraft also has larger windows and the lighting throughout the cabin changes colour according to the flight phase to help reduce jetlag. The draft-free air circulation system combined with the airframe, engine and cabin design results in a low ambient cabin noise level for a more peaceful journey.”
So what was Cathay’s design intention for its new A350s?
“It focuses around a fresh new cabin experience that begins the moment passengers step on board,” says Cruttenden. “Throughout the development process three rounds of passenger testing were organised. The cabin interior is designed to best manifest the Cathay brand ethos through the use of colours, selection of material, and choice of textures and finishes. The essence of the Cathay brand is embedded in the definition of every detail, from the seat dress covers, walls of the aircraft interior to the finishes and paints of the galley and lavatory interiors.
“For the first time, a harmonious design was thoughtfully carried out through Business, Premium Economy, to Economy cabins to ensure a seamless visual experience from the front to the back of the aircraft interior, and from cabins to lounges. Also the new A350 inflight entertainment system is inspired by the airline’s latest design philosophy. The interactive user interface is contemporary and fresh looking.”
For Airbus, airline input into the design starts at a very early stage. Werner explains: “During the design of the aircraft a number of customers, including Cathay Pacific, worked with us throughout the development period, to ensure the basic aircraft meets their needs.
“The cabin customisation exercise is done during the cabin definition phase, and involves relevant suppliers and Airbus specialists in working groups with the relevant airline teams. This happens at the A350 XWB Customer Definition Centre in Hamburg, where airlines find a true one-stop shop for cabin definition.
“Here, our own Airbus Trim and Finish and Lighting teams worked closely with Cathay Pacific and their designers. This helped to translate their design vision into reality, by means of a very close dialogue and working with physical and virtual tools.
“Our teams are ideally positioned as we understand both the airline brand as well as the Airbus and supplier requirements. This helps to ensure that Cathay Pacific gets the fantastic interior they want in the most optimised definition lead time possible.
“Airbus is offering and developing the most optimised cabin platform on each aircraft family, allowing the airlines to get the most efficient aircraft according to their specific operations and needs. In discussions with the airlines, we guide them within the wide offer, taking advantage of our market understanding and cabin trends monitoring as an extra asset to support their cabin product development.”
Selecting seating
On the top of a passenger’s list of pluses for any airline is the comfort of its seats. After all, on a non-stop, long-haul flight passengers can easily spend more than half a day in a sitting position. In premium classes they even offer the passenger the chance to lie down. Seats are also an area where airlines can really emphasise their brand.
“The first step on the journey to provide our passengers with comfort while on-board the A350 began with selecting the most appropriate seat concept,” Cruttenden says. “We worked on optimising the seat concept spatially, keeping in mind that every inch that is given back to the passenger makes a difference to their comfort.
“With the A350 we have introduced a series of thoughtful updates all designed to raise levels of comfort. For example, the new economy six-way headrest hugs the head to prevent sore necks and shoulders.
“The new Business Class and Premium Economy Class seats are designed by Studio F.A. Porsche renowned for its intrinsic sense of premium quality and expertise for seat ergonomics, functionality and comfort. Passengers’ feedback has been instrumental in shaping the final product design.”
Werner adds: “Seating is the number one concern of passengers, with Y (Economy) class passengers benefitting from 18-inch wide seats as a starting point – Airbus’ economy standard. Other aspects of the cabin environment play a crucial role for comfort, and if passengers don’t think about these parameters, that’s often a sign we’ve got it right. From an airline perspective the choice of seating is a result of many criteria, including weight, cost, comfort, or positioning possibilities.”
Getting connected
The most significant change in the passenger’s experience is the development of In-Flight Entertainment (IFE). Long gone are the days when passengers watched a single screen at the front of the cabin. On the A350 each passenger has far more access to individual entertainment and also interconnectivity to their own mobile devices and the outside world.
Cruttenden states: “Cathay Pacific was one of the first airlines to introduce personal TVs on every seat but passengers’ expectations have evolved. Now, people expect a greater variety and choice of films, and, most importantly, they want to stay connected while in the air. We took all these into consideration when we created an enhanced IFE experience. First of all, the A350 uses the state-of-the-art Panasonic eX3 platform with HD personal TVs in all classes. By leveraging higher capacity servers, the A350 has a larger library of movies and TV series. We have also introduced a new interactive 3D map, more games, and a wide collection of digital magazines.
“With the launch of the A350, Cathay Pacific is introducing the opportunity for passengers to stay connected in the air. Inflight connectivity is available in all cabin classes on all Cathay Pacific’s A350-900s. For a fee, passengers can also use their own devices to browse the internet, send and receive emails, and stay connected on social media.”
“The A350 XWB is a fully ‘digital native’ aircraft (i.e. has been offering broadband connectivity from the beginning),” Werner affirms. “This helps support both customer experience as well as helping airlines with new business models. The latest systems offered on A350 XWB provide higher performance, more interactivity and are better integrated into the aircraft. Moreover, feet are not blocked by electronic boxes underneath the seats anymore, so the floor is fully flat, adding to the comfort of passengers especially on the long-haul.”
So what future improvements can passengers expect from the OEMs and the airlines?
Werner concludes: “‘Airspace by Airbus’ cabins have unrivalled levels of comfort, ambience, service and design. Going forward it’s the application of these attributes on our other aircraft programmes that set the standard for passenger experience.
“The space in the aircraft will, also in the future, be defined by the needs of the airlines and their passengers. We are focusing on new technologies and differentiation possibilities that continuously further enhance passenger experience and airline performance of our cabins.”