concept overview

The concept came about from a common observation many travelers make when seeing so much unused overhead cabin space—especially after several hours of flight, when personal space seems to shrink. The goal was designing a space-optimizing solution for widebody long-haul aircraft capable of utilizing the overhead cabin space in order to offer all passengers increased personal space and comfort, as well as enhanced safety and wellness, while at the same time maintaining or surpassing passenger capacity compared with conventional seating arrangements.

Aircraft Interiors International

February 2003

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Aircraft Interiors International

September 2009

Science & Vie

September 2009

Avion Revue

Oct/Nov 2009

Aicraft Interiors International

February 2010

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about the concept

The Airborne Hotel Concept (AbH) is a modular, bi-level aircraft cabin interior design focused on delivering a far more comfortable, healthier and safer flight experience in economy class, as well as a new, more flexible and profitable business model for airlines.

By making it possible for passengers to travel in fully lie-flat independently convertible seating, in single or double-occupancy modular units with direct aisle access, the AbH design can increase public demand for long-haul air travel, motivating people who already fly long haul to fly further and more frequently, and specific sectors of the public—who typically avoid traveling 7+ hours in conventional seating—to fly long haul; these sectors include the elderly/retired, people with mobility impairments or disabilities, and people traveling with babies/children or pets/service animals.

AbH can be fitted to all widebody airliners (A-380, B-747, B-777, A-350, B-787), matching or surpassing passenger capacity compared to conventional seating arrangements. ​

A fundamental and unique feature of the AbH design is its patented addition of aisles in the cabin, making it possible to offer direct aisle access for both single and double-occupancy modular units. Three-aisle configurations are available for A-380s, B-747s, B-777s, A350s and B-787s, with four-aisle options available exclusively for the A-380, B-747 and B-777.

The three-aisle option features both single and double-occupancy units, with the first comprising 40-45% and the latter 55-60% of all seats, meaning that about 70% of passengers will enjoy direct aisle access, while the 30% remaining are always just one seat away from the aisle—without the need for passengers in aisle seats to step into the aisle for inner seat passengers to access or exit their unit. The four-aisle option for the A-380, B-747 and B-777 guarantees single-occupancy units with direct aisle access for 100% of passengers; this unique characteristic of the AbH design can help address the upward trend in solo travel.

Because of its modular design, AbH can also protect passengers from airborne pathogens without airlines having to apply spatial distancing between seats, meaning more people can keep flying safely during a health contingency, helping to lessen the financial impact for airlines. The modular design can also enable sectorization of airflows in the cabin, with vents extracting and replenishing air from units individually, ensuring that each passenger travels in their personal airspace. Other possible features include installing real-time temperature sensors in each unit to alert cabin crew of any passenger potentially developing symptoms of illness, and the possibility to temporarily seal off individual units in order to quarantine passengers who develop symptoms of illness during a flight. The additional aisles in AbH cabin layouts can also help streamline boarding/deboarding—even when social distancing is required.

The increased personal space that the AbH design provides to each passenger also means that people will travel in a much healthier fashion overall, avoiding the possible health complications that can arise from extended periods of limited mobility, such as circulatory problems.

In short, with AbH passengers can benefit from a far more convenient, comfortable, healthier and safer travel experience at affordable air fares; airlines can benefit from the design's capability to match or even add seat count, increased long-haul air travel demand, tapping into new and broadened market segments, faster turnaround times, restoring public confidence in air travel safety, and—something that is priceless for any industry—far higher customer satisfaction ratings. ​

development phase

AbH is at an advanced conceptual design phase, with viable solutions for virtually any potential hurdle it may face on its way to realization—be it evacuation times, weight, g-force resistance, certification, logistics or class cannibalization.

Two full-size mock ups have been constructed, in order to ascertain the sense of spaciousness in the modular units and experience entering and exiting them (whether upper or lower-tier, single or double-occupancy units), as well as stowing one's hand baggage. These preliminary tests confirmed that entering/exiting the units and stowing hand baggage is done in a safe and effortless manner; this is due to the ergonomic design, which includes strategically located handlebars and skid-proof surfaces, and the fact that upper-tier units are set at a height of about 1.30 m (4'3). It was also confirmed that to enter or exit the inner seat of double-occupancy units it is not necessary for the aisle seat occupant to step out into the aisle; they simply need to be in a seated position with legs pulled up. Once seated inside the units, the sense of spaciousness and freedom of mobility are far greater than in conventional economy seating.

To take this concept to its next phase of research and development will require drawing from a wide array of resources, manpower, disciplines and expertise in order to conduct initial research into its technical and commercial viability.

the challenge

With the advent of the modern jetliner, commercial flights have progressively become longer in distance and duration; however, only first and business-class seating have shown a trend to increase space and comfort, while for economy seating the trend has been the opposite, with space and comfort constantly diminishing.

The only way to travel long haul in a truly comfortable and dignified manner is in convertible seats that enable lying completely flat, and the only way to provide economy-class passengers with convertible sleeping accommodations—without decreasing passenger capacity of aircraft—is by taking advantage of the vertical space available in the cabin; however, in spite of numerous efforts by aircraft manufacturers, airlines and design firms, a viable and practical solution to achieve this has proven unattainable for decades. This has led airlines to focus their business strategy on providing more room and comfort to premium classes in order to increase revenue, at the expense of reducing space, comfort—and revenue opportunities—in economy class. As a palliative measure, premium economy seating has become more prevalent in recent years; however, this kind of seating only offers a marginal space increase that does not equate to sleeping accommodations. Additionally, the fact that it decreases passenger capacity means premium economy seating has no chance of becoming a standard for air travel.

the solution

The key to attaining feasible bi-level modular configurations capable of providing long-haul economy-class passengers with convertible sleeping accommodations that are practical to use, without decreasing passenger capacity in aircraft, resides in a counterintuitive notion—to provide passengers with more space it is necessary to add aisles in the cabin.

This unique and patented innovation is at the heart of the AbH concept, allowing it to deliver bi-level modular cabin layouts which ensure that at least 70% of seats in three-aisle configurations be directly next to an aisle, while the 30% remaining will always be just one seat away from the aisle; with the added benefit that passengers in aisle seats will not have to step out of their seats and into the aisle to allow inner seat occupants to pass, as they will only need to be in a seated position with legs pulled up. Four-aisle configurations, which are available exclusively for the A-380, B-747 and B-777, ensure that all seats in the cabin are in single-occupancy units with direct and personal aisle access—something never before seen in economy class.

By making it possible to provide all economy-class passengers with convertible sleeping accommodations, AbH adds value to the economy cabin, opening exciting marketing opportunities for airlines. People who already travel long-haul will be motivated to travel farther and more frequently; while those who normally avoid long-haul air travel will find it far more appealing—these market segments include the elderly/retired, people with mobility problems, as well as people traveling with children or pets.

minding the gap

It's become more and more evident that as sleeping accommodations have become the norm for long-haul flights in premium classes, while simultaneously space and comfort have decreased in economy class, economy travelers have been left feeling discouraged by the growing gap in travel experience between classes in the cabin. This has led to the notion that the ultimate benchmark of premium long-haul air travel must be the ability to lie down flat to sleep; it is the AbH concept's purpose to change this mindset, bringing harmony to the cabin with truly dignified accommodations for all long-haul air travelers.

In this new paradigm for air travel, luxury in the cabin will no longer be defined by the ability to lie down flat and sleep comfortably, but by subtler aspects that constitute true luxury—first-class lounges, priority boarding and deboarding, superior meal and beverage options, plushness of the finishes, increased general space, abundance of amenities, specialized service, and the status associated with traveling in premium classes.

other forms of transportation

AbH can also be applied to other forms of long-haul travel, such as trains or buses. In fact, with the current drive to switch from short-haul air travel to long-haul train travel for intracontinental trips in Europe, with the purpose of reducing the carbon footprint, applying AbH to trains would help make long-haul train travel within Europe far more appealing and economic for travelers.

the objective

The ultimate goal of AbH is for all long-haul travelers to enjoy—not merely endure—their trips; arriving fresh, rested and in good health to their destinations.

At Airborne Hotel Systems we hold the firm conviction that the AbH concept can achieve this goal while also generating more and broadened business opportunities for the air travel industry, effectively revitalizing it and all the other industries that are dependent on it.