CABIN ECONOMICS
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ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2020 013
The all-economy class aircraft on long-haul routes will
have to deliver greater passenger comfort and well-being.
There is no safe place to walk around in a single-aisle
aircraft, meaning passengers are confined for seven and
a half hours. This is likely to drive LCCs to offer variable
pitch solutions. If legislation passes regarding PRM
accessibility for the cabin and lavatories, long-haul
single-aisle cabin designs will need to be rethought.
BUSINESS CONFIGURATION AIRCRAFT
Due to the operating costs as highlighted above and
customer desire for frequency, Counterpoint considers –
service on long-haul routes.
the production of A321neos due to the
need for more complex customisation
of long-range interiors.
Long-haul single-aisle sectors are not
new; United started a B757 service from
Newark to the UK more than 20 years
ago, with a full-service offering.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CABIN INTERIORS
Currently, increasing passenger count, reducing pitch and
placing lavs into aft bulkheads (thus reducing galley space)
is not in sync with providing a 6.5 to 7.5-hour cabin service
experience equivalent to widebody cabins. Furthermore,
American Airlines is
the launch customer
for the high-capacity
Airspace XL bins
through research – that up to 15% of the single-aisle
fleet will be dedicated to emulating a wide-body
Single-aisle aircraft customisation is a definite
growth area, a consequence of single-aisle long-haul
aircraft appealing to the business sector due to
their frequency and potential cost savings.
However, Airbus is already struggling with
passengers could be in situ in the cabin for half an hour at
the beginning and end of the journey whilst on the ground,
and that would mean a passenger sitting on a New
York to Frankfurt flight for close to nine hours.
Aircraft configurations seen on a long-haul
single-aisle aircraft will challenge galley space
to support both business and economy class
passengers. Unlike widebody experiences, there
is no opportunity to experience a relief from seat
imprisonment other than a quick trip to the
lavatory, and unlike a widebody, there is no long
way round to the amenities to get some exercise.
There is another factor to consider: long-haul
single-aisle lavatory provisions. Currently solutions
provide accessibility for up to 95% Western European
ABOVE: AMERICAN AIRLINES
LAUNCHED THE AIRSPACE XL BINS
ON ITS A321neo. AMERICAN ALSO
PLANS TO RETROFIT THE BINS ON
ITS IN-SERVICE FLEET OF MORE
THAN 200 A321s, TO INCREASE
OVERHEAD STORAGE SPACE BY
APPROXIMATELY 40%
ABOVE INSET: AMERICAN AIRLINES
IS THE LARGEST OPERATOR OF THE
A321neo
BELOW: TSI’S RECENTLY LAUNCHED
ROYALUX BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
FOR NARROW-BODY AIRCRAFT
TABLE 2
Single-aisle aircraft eet size
circa 3,000NM
A/C Family Active Stored
A320ceo family 7,260 225
A320neo family 910 10
A220 family 90 2
B737NG family 6,715 140
B737 MAX family 2 390
B757 family 365 90
Total 15,342 857
Source: ATDB.Aero
TABLE 3: RETIREMENT PLAN
Aircraft retired in previous 12 months
capable of ying circa 3,000NM
Aircraft Role Count
B737NG Single aisle 20
B757-200 Single aisle 10
A320 family Single aisle 35
Total 65
Source: ATDB.Aero
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