It’s a minor fascination for us at Economy Class and Beyond, but we have a thing for overhead bins – mainly as we look towards both larger and more efficient use of them.
Safran Cabin has been working in the background on its ECOS storage bin, which is now in-flight with Air France.
Refurbished Air France A320 with the Safran Cabin ECOS overhead bins – Image, Safran Cabin/Air France
The ECOS (Efficient Cabin Open Space) shelf bins have been retrofitted to an Air France A320 and installed by Air France Industries in July 2021 has returned to service with success.
A total of 24 Airbus A320 aircraft will be fitted with these new overhead bins. Air France is the first carrier to use these overhead bins.
According to Safran Cabin, the ECOS self bins offer up to 60% more storage capacity. The new luggage compartments are equipped with easy to reach doors that do not encroach into the cabin aisle and provide a lower shelf height for ease of loading and visibility. They provide an easier and smoother boarding experience, greatly reducing the time spent searching for luggage space or the need to put certain bags in the cargo hold.
Refurbished Air France A320 with the Safran Cabin ECOS overhead bins – Image, Safran Cabin/Air France
The result is this is decreased aircraft turnaround times – allowing people to store and retrieve luggage quickly, thus improving efficiency and on-time performance.
The ECOS Interior is robust, lightweight, and easy to maintain according to Safran. The installation of the ECOS system was extremely efficient with certification of the interior facilitated utilizing FAA and EASA Supplemental Type Certification.
The modification also included the installation of Movable Class Dividers supplied by Safran Cabin.
Your luggage still has to go somewhere
Luggage space is always a contentious issue on an aircraft – especially when boarding is nearing completion, and there’s no space for your bag (and yes, most of us have been there at one point or another).
Anything, therefore, to alleviate that issue is welcome.
Whilst the bins will add up to 60% more luggage space, passengers will need to ensure that they place those trolley bags the right way round and be of the same sort of size and design.
For those of use with small backpacks and such, that could be fun as we consume more space in those bins.
However, more storage space is welcome, if it allows passengers to stow their luggage and retrieve it quickly, even if airlines might try to monetise it at the first instance…
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DN: SL13-04