travellers with personal protective equipment (PPE) at
boarding – including masks, disinfecting wipes and/or
hand sanitiser – could go a long way towards creating
value in the minds of passengers right now too.
“The spacing of seats and perhaps an increase in the
pitch between seats is also something that may ease
passenger minds when it comes to flying safely,” adds
Kefallonitis.
That extra space could also be perceived as valuable,
as he explains. “For instance, passengers could be given
the option to buy an extra seat next to them as restrictions
start to ease, which could be presented as part of a bundle
of services related to seats, wi-fi, IFE, food/beverage
options and other amenities. Introducing a basic fare
with add-ons like these could prove to be very appealing
to passengers.”
And with carriers and suppliers alike exploring
everything from pre-flight rapid Covid-19 testing, to
retrofit-ready hygiene screens and backwards-facing
centre seat solutions like Aviointeriors’ Janus economy
triple, United’s Kutmus agrees that change is definitely
in the air.
“It’s rather tough to predict how airlines might
change their onboard cabin configurations in the future
versus keeping them as is with heavier preventative
measures… like temperature checks, deeper cleanings,
etc,” says Kutmus. “But one thing that is certain is that
for the foreseeable future, all domestic airlines will
begin practicing social distancing on all flights
whenever possible.”
United’s gate agents are empowered to move
passengers safe distances away from one another on
under-booked flights, and Kutmus says the carrier is
also staggering the boarding process and limiting the
number of passengers in each group to ensure that
contact between passengers adheres to strict socialdistancing
guidelines.
“Additionally, as we see load factors returning to
higher levels, we expect to have the middle seat blocked
as a way of continuing the social-distancing measures,”
INDUSTR Y R E COV ERY
“When it comes to
f lying safely in the
Covid-19 era, every
challenge creates an
opportunity”
Dr Stathis Kefallonitis, Branding.Aero
First responder
The design team at Aviointeriors were among the first
to release ideas that would maintain seat count while
physically separating passengers. The Janus concept
sees all three passengers in a triple seat separated by
transparent shields to help limit breath propagation,
with the centre seats facing backwards.
Aviointeriors also proposes Glassafe, a shield kit that
could be installed on a range of existing seat models to
help separate passengers, with fixing systems that enable
easy installation and removal. See p70 for more details.
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
028 JUNE 2020
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com