aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
044 MARCH 2020
WORK IN PROGRESS
DESIGN B R I EF
THE BRIEF
Premium economy occupies a middle ground between economy
and business class, but rather than just being a halfway house
in terms of ticket price and comfort, it could be further
differentiated. With many travellers seeking to work during
flight, especially with the growth of cabin connectivity, perhaps
inflight productivity could become the selling point.
THE SOLUTION
An interesting proposition is the Coffee House Cabin concept,
which instead of having the usual layout of travel classes fitted in
decreasing order or fare along the length of a twin-aisle aircraft,
puts premium economy in the centre of the economy cabin. This
is no standard premium economy though, with central desk-style
tables rotated 90° running along the centre of the economy cabin.
The design was conceived by students and faculty at the University
of Cincinnati and the Live Well Collaborative, a multidisciplinary
design offshoot of the university.
Workaholics can set up office at the large desks, with ample
space for laptops and paperwork, complemented by charging ports.
The work stations feature two double-sided retractable highresolution
screens for IFE, messages and inflight services, which
also provide a physical partition from the passenger seated
opposite. If co-workers are travelling together, a ‘quad’ could be
booked in the Coffee House so that a team can communicate with
one another during flight.
Of course, the angle of the seats would create issues for taxi,
takeoff and landing, so they are forward-facing during those flight
phases, with the table wings folded down and secured. During the
cruise phase, crew slide and rotate the seats toward the tables to
create the Coffee House Cabin.
VERDICT
Business travellers who require space to be
productive during flight but whose company won’t
stretch to a business class ticket may appreciate the
concept. It can certainly be difficult to work with a
laptop on the meal tray of an economy class seat, but
perhaps setting up office in the cabin seems a little
excessive, and leisure travellers may not appreciate
the overt corporate activity taking place, especially
if a group has booked.
It could be more interesting to offer experiences
closer to the name of the Coffee House Cabin. The
setup could be used as a table for communal dining
experiences, inflight gaming competitions, sponsored
events – whatever an airline thinks passengers might
pay a premium for.
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com