UP F RONT
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
MARCH 2020 019
The innovative
cabin divider design
was the winner of
a Crystal Cabin
Award in 2018
1. CABIN CREW PIVOT THE CLASS
DIVIDER USING A SIMPLE LATCH
2. MAJOR BENEFITS ARE CREATED
BY THE DIVIDER NOT EXTENDING
DOWN TO THE FLOOR. IMAGES:
COLLINS AEROSPACE
SHAPE SHIFTER
As part of El Al’s B737-800 interiors renovations
programme, the airline has become launch
customer for an innovative cabin divider that
enables more efficient cabin configurations
El Al, the flag carrier of Israel, has completed the interiors renewal and
upgrade programme for its fleet of 13 B737-800 aircraft that serve
European destinations, with an interesting aspect being the altered
cabin configuration. The airline has found space to fit an additional
12 seats in economy class, enabled partly by installing the slimmer
Meridian model from Collins and reducing storage space in the rear
galley, but also by adding a new partition between the business and
economy class rows.
El Al is the first airline to fit the Silhouette Move cabin divider from
Collins Aerospace, a design which won the Cabin Systems category of
the 2018 Crystal Cabin Awards. Key to the design of the divider is that
it adapts to the relevant regulations of each phase of flight, taking
advantage of the unused space between the divider and the seat in
front. When at cruising altitude the TTL regulations no longer apply,
so at this stage the divider can be pivoted back to allow passengers in
the last row of business class to recline further. As the bottom of the
curved divider does not extend to the floor, the shape also benefits
the first row of economy class behind as it opens up more
legroom and under-seat baggage space.
Collins Aerospace achieved this design while still meeting HIC
requirements and without needing to test alternative restraint
devices or airbags. Even better, the divider allows seats to be
positioned more closely to it than any other divider in the
industry, adding 1ft3 of space per passenger seated in the
bulkhead row. This is sufficient for an additional row of seats
to be fitted, resulting in an estimated return on investment
within four months for a domestic single-aisle aircraft, according
to Collins Aerospace.
As El Al CEO, Gonen Usishkin states,
“A substantial improvement of the
flight experience for our customers
and increased efficiency in the aircraft
configuration will enable El Al to be
more competitive”.
Further parts of the cabin renewal
project include fitting charging outlets
and PED holders to every seat,
redesigning carpets and curtains,
replacing fluorescent lighting with the
‘Bi-Color’ LED system from Bruce
Aerospace, fitting new upper storage
bins with greater capacity, and expanding
content on the IFE streaming system.
SILHOUETTE
MOVE TRIVIA
1
• The original idea came from a quick
sketch to modify an older design
• The name was created during
a flight from LA to Brisbane
1
• The product was previously designed as
a highly optimised fixed solution. However,
one of the sales team said, “What if…?”
Seat upgrades
Business class features
improved living space and
recline, with 16 MiQ seats from
Collins Aerospace at a 42in pitch
and 10in recline. In economy,
El Al has again gone with Collins,
fitting 150 Meridian seats at
a pitch of 29/30in and a 3in
recline, with an additional row of
Preferred Seats (for a total of 18
seats) offering greater legroom.
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