Time for the late dispatch from Aircraft Interior Expo where I take a closer look at the Airbus A380 new seating.
For those of you who missed the news from Tuesday, Airbus are proposing 11 across seats aboard their A380s.
But it’s difficult to imagine. So I went to investigate.
The 11 Across seats in the A380 width space.
Those aisles – notice the width or lack of.
Not that much in the aisle at width at all…
That window seat block – notice how the space of the bulkheads
The joy of five across in the middle – reminiscent of the middle seats in an DC-10 or 777.
Lets start at the obvious ways they done this:
- Shrunk the armrests. Not an obvious one, but it’s there to preserve the illusion of 18” seat width across the bottom the seat, whilst trying to preserve the shoulder room
- Aisles are slimmer than before – again, an easy way to gain a few centimetres
- Bringing the window seat right to the bulkhead – this one is obvious, and has passenger comfort implications.
However, the seat hasn’t been welcomed at all from many quarters – least of all from myself. In a way, it’s a way for airframers to say “Look, here’s a way for you to make more money”. In turn, airlines can turn to passengers and say “If you want your comforts, you’re going to have to pay more for space”.
As I alluded to in the earlier article, this could lead to five passengers aboard a plane:
- First Class
- Business Class
- Premium Economy
- Comfort Economy
- Basic Economy
3-5-3 could improve the operating economics of the Airbus A380 – but only when this is magnified over a large fleet and over time.
None the less, the message is clear to consumers – If you want to be in a comfortable space, be prepared to pay.
Economy Class and Beyond joins in with the latest from Aircraft Interior Expo 2015 this week, for the latest in how the next generation of interiors will affect you the passenger.
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What we have now is basic economy. I find it hard to believe that article would call 3-5-3 as basic economy and call what we have now as comfort economy.
I say I’m ok with it if the airline can show its very own CEO take that middle seat of the 5-seater row for a longhaul flight.
I’ll admit though that I think the 5-seat rows are great for families of 5. I grew up in the 90s and I recall flying on a few flights where my entire family took the center row of 5 seats. My parents sat on the aisle seats and us kids were in the middle. In terms of space for kids 2=12 years of age, it was perfect!
On an empty plane, that 5-seat row would also make a great couch bed! 😉
Ouch.
I don’t enjoy having to get over two people to get out of my seat when I’m sitting at the window, but having to get over two people and sitting in the middle of the plane, that’s just cruel!
I think the window passengers would get annoyed by the proximity of the bulkhead, reducing the space for the feet.
As for the aisle width, while it would be annoying when boarding the plane, the real losers here will be the flight attendants, having to work up and down such a narrow aisle.