To Build the Airline of the Future Carriers Must Think Beyond the Seat
Photo Credit: American Compensates for the lack of a lounge on the 777-200 by providing an attractive walkup bar, which also serves to disguise unattractive galleys and is a better welcome on board for passengers–that’s hospitality well applied. American Airlines
Skift Take
A greater focus on enhancing the overall cabin experience, taking into account all factors which affect passenger comfort, far beyond issues of seat space and pitch, will make the cabin a significantly more pleasant space in the very near term.
To the degree that a cabin continues to be no more than a comfortable illusion artfully created within a volatile high-speed cylinder flying high above the clouds, the laws of physics and the laws governing airline safety will continue to limit just how far airlines can go with their greatest ambitions.
Tomorrow’s airline will still consist of a confined space, with seating complemented by niceties.
But, oh! How nice those niceties could be.
By opening up the possibilities of the cabin for further innovation, thinking of the product in an entirely different way, leaving behind a past sectioned by two or three or even four carefully structured cabins, airlines have an opportunity to completely reinvent themselves, redefine air travel, and win back the hearts of customers at all budget levels.
We’ve all seen plenty of Premium activity so far this year, and there is plenty of reason to believe we’ll see even more. Given the restrictions of aviation, there really is only
