At Economy Class and Beyond, we’re slightly obsessed about overhead bins. When I say slightly – see my piece last year about the Airbus vs Boeing overhead bin I wrote last year at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2016.
But why? It’s a big passenger experience thing. It allows people to stow their items without worrying about their safety too much. Of course there’s a problem along with that – the distinct lack of overhead bin space that’s aboard planes as passengers fill out their hand baggage quotas.
Haeco has partnered with Airbus to deliver a ceiling mounted overhead bin (Ceiling stowage compartment). Now, you’re thinking to yourself why that’s important, scroll past the first image.
The ceiling stowage compartment can be used to store large items (up to 35kg), releasing the space they are taking in the cabin overhead bins. So things like life rafts, baby bassinets, survival kits – and even crew luggage.
Here it is in action, holding a dummy raft.
The bin in a stowed mode
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Opening the ceiling mounted bin
The bin deployed – Images, Economy Class and Beyond
So this has many applications. In this mockup – it was sized to the height of an A320 type aircraft – so should allow plenty of headroom when entering or leaving an aircraft.
Currently, Haeco will be offering this as a line-fit option, with a retro-fit version in the works.
Depending on the type of A320 family will depend how many of these ceiling mounted bins you can fit.
- Airbus A319 – Up to two (one forward cabin, one rear cabin)
- Airbus A320 – Up to two (one forward cabin, one rear cabin)
- Airbus A321 – Up to three (one forward cabin, one rear cabin and one in the mid cabin)
These bins will start appearing line-fitted to aircraft from Q1 2018. A customer has been defined – but has not been announced.
Again – Airbus is making use of the space in the aircraft as best as possible and trying to release precious overhead bin space. And whilst it may not be a lot of space, it will allow a few more bags to be squeezed aboard a plane.
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It’s Aircraft Interiors Expo 2017 week – and Economy Class and Beyond will be there covering the latest news and announcements – as well as some deep dives into some of the innovations coming forward in passenger experience.
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