FOCUS ON AIRLINE TRENDS
Right, top, Air New Zealand’s SkyCouch with Virgin Atlantic (below)
Virgin Atlantic has worked with architectural lighting experts DHA to design the best inflight mood lighting schemes. On boarding the aircraft, a soft ‘rose champagne’ colour has been chosen to de-stress passengers whilst encouraging them to relax into their journey. This changes into ‘purple haze’, designed to be cosy and comfortable before transforming into ‘amber warmth’ to create a candlelight environment whilst dining. To help passengers drift into a deep sleep, ‘silver moonlight’ is introduced to reflect a starry night sky. Finnair offers Business passengers on flights between Helsinki and Shanghai a ‘bright light headset’ developed by Finish company Valkee, said to help jet lag by channelling bright light into the brain via the ear canal, which is said to simulate the effects of daylight. ANA is taking another ‘sensory’ approach
to passengers’ sleep on overnight flights from Tokyo to Los Angeles, Bangkok and Singapore. The airline’s ‘Sleep Support Kit’ includes two types of aroma-therapy cards – ‘Relax’ and ‘Refresh’ which emit a lavender or an ‘ANA Original Aroma’ scent when a small button is pressed.
Sound absorption, separate bed Lufthansa has converted every window seat in its Boeing 747-400 First cabin into a permanent flat bed measuring over two metres in length and featuring a top-quality mattress. The result is that the seat now actually consists of two seats: an upright seat adjoining the aisle to allow for easier meal service and socialising, and a fixed bed positioned alongside the window for more privacy. The airline has also placed sound- absorbing curtains and sound-deadening insulation beneath the carpet while its A380 First features special sound-insulating material in the aircraft’s outer skin to block noise, making it ‘the quietest First class ever’.
Kid-free cabins Citing complaints by well-heeled passengers that their sleep had been disturbed by crying babies, Malaysia Airlines recently took a controversial measure and banned infants from travelling in First. The airline has also
“Airlines are now looking for ways to differentiate the passenger experience... with additional services to ensure that passengers have a good night’s sleep”
declared a kid-free zone on the upper deck of its new Airbus A380 in the Economy cabin. The objective is to ensure that business travellers in Economy have a more restful and enjoyable trip. Says Shashank Nigam of airline branding consultancy SimpliFlying, “Malaysia Airlines is trying to make its premium product on the A380 more appealing to the high- yielding business passengers. They value their peace and quiet and [this way] can rest assured that they won’t be disturbed by kids on long-haul flights.”
SkyCouch Air New Zealand set the challenge of developing a new category of air travel that would allow Economy passengers to arrive refreshed. The airline’s ‘Skycouch’ is an Economy seat that allows three standard seats to be changed into a single, horizontal space by removing arm rests. When all three seats
are reclined with the footrests up, they form a flat surface 156 cm long and 76 cm wide, while seat-belt extenders enable passengers to be buckled in when prone. Passengers need to buy the three seats together, but only pay the price of two-and-a-half seat. Air New Zealand says it designed the Skycouch mainly for couples and families travelling with young children.
Raymond Kollau is the founder of market research agency www.
airlinetrends.com. Having been part of the leading consumer trend firm
trendwatching.com since its inception, Raymond founded
airlinetrends.com to focus on trends and innovations in the global airline industry. He has been quoted as an industry expert in a range of media as diverse as CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times and is also known for his high-level and colourful presentations.
www.airlinetrends.com
www.onboardhospitality.com 31
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