One of the odd things I’ve started covering on this blog are Overhead luggage bins. I don’t know why, but it’s another subject that fascinates me in terms of passenger experience (but then lots of things keep me more than amused…).
American Airlines have chosen to work with Service by Airbus to provide cabin upgrades to 202 of its A321 fleet with the Airspace XL overhead bins.
The new Airbus Airspace XL Bin for the A320 Family – Image, Airbus
Airbus state that the Airspace XL bins provide a 40 percent increase in storage space for carry-on bags – which in theory should reduce overhead bin crowding, and reduce the need check bags at the gate.
Laurent Martinez, Head of Services by Airbus states:
“Thanks to this Airbus cabin retrofit, passengers on American Airlines’ A321s will be able to board faster and will enjoy an overall improved travel experience”
The bins will be retrofitted to planes fitted with the classic bin, whilst new production A321s heading to American Airlines will be fitted with the new bins off the production line.
The larger bins are becoming more of a feature as airlines seek to cram people aboard planes and not hold up planes at the gate because of late luggage being sent to the plane.
Although these bins (be it the Zodiac variant, the Boeing Space Bin or Airbus’s range of bins) are great in concept, it assumes everyone is travelling with the same sort of trolley bag and that it isn’t overpacked.
Sadly, in the real world, things aren’t like that as people have all sorts of different bags (be it handbags, rucksacks or soft sided bags of varying natures).
But if there’s extra space (and providing people understand how to stow their bags), this should be a useful thing for travellers as they drag their bag to their next destination.
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interesting that these seem to be fixed in place. The larger bins I have seen on 747-8 and 737 flights need to be pushed into the ceiling and they are said to be very heavy.
This is a welcome change for AA. Their legacy 321’s always seem to lack overhead space. Hopefully AA will not fill this with equipment over the bulkhead rows this time. You know those rows where everything has to go into the overhead but the bins over those rows are full of oxygen tanks, safety demo equipment, FA stuff.
Well, AA could always get the aisle storage overhead bins from HAECO as a retrofit… (See http://economyclassandbeyond.boardingarea.com/2017/04/04/haeco-airbus-announce-way-increase-overhead-bin-space/#sthash.XbZk8GhM.dpbs) – that would remove a lot of the stuff from the front bins…