Earlier, I looked at the Boeing Space Bin. Well, it would be unsurprising if Airbus didn’t respond – and they have with the Airbus Pivot bin.
Originally announced in September 2014, this is a line fit/retrofit product that can be installed aboard the A320 family aircraft.
Here’s the rendering:
Airbus Pivot Bin aboard the A320neo – Rendering Airbus
But how does it look in the real world?
Airbus Pivot Bin in the closed position, Airbus stand at AIX2015.
Airbus Pivot bin in the open position – four identical bags loaded. Airbus stand at AIX2015.
Again, this an overhead bin that will have bags on their sides as opposed to flat back, and passengers stow them as such.
The bins offer more space – around 10% more space than the current shelf style bins being deployed on aircraft. Of course with the luggage stored a bit more optimally – Airbus thinks this will be more like 60% extra space
In terms of looks, they look like most modern pivot bins – curved and blended into the cabin as opposed to the usual stick-out. Also, airlines seems to love curves in the cabin as it gives the illusion of additional space.
Delta will be the launch customer of these pivot style bins, which will fly from early 2016 onwards aboard new Airbus A321 aircraft.
It’s welcome to see these new designs enter the market – and hopefully be fitted on more planes. The only problem – and it’s the same with the Boeing Space Bin – is that all the mockups and demonstration units so far have used the same size peice of luggage in a bin.
And the real world doesn’t work like that. We all have different sized rollaboard bags (or in your writers case, a rucksack) that bulge in different ways.
How these bins will work in the real world will be the acid test.
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When was the last time Airbus came out with a product or enhancement that Boeing rolled out later?