FOCUS ON AIRLINE TRENDS
Founder of market research agency
www.airlinetrends.com, Raymond Kollau, reveals the latest trends in the air in the first of his new regular features
Bring your own device Raymond’s research reveals how tech-toting travellers are influencing airline seat design
ACCORDING to a recent survey by FlightView among flyers in North America, more than 80% of passengers today carry a smartphone, nearly 40% carry a personal computer, and 37% have a tablet with them while up in the air. Another recent survey by TripAdvisor also found that one-in-four passengers in the US call their tablet device a ‘carry-on essential’.
Airlines are responding to this explosion in passenger use of smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers, plus the increasing expectation that these devices can be connected inflight, by incorporating power sockets and USB ports in aircraft seats (including Economy) and introducing onboard Wi-Fi, while several carriers have also introduced wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) systems. Being referred to as BYOD (bring your own device), an alternative eco-system to today’s traditional fixed IFE systems is emerging, which sees tech-savvy passengers bring their own digital devices, and airlines provide in-seat power, onboard Wi-Fi, as well as access to a wireless IFE system, so passengers can use their own device to connect to an onboard server and stream content from it.
BYOD and seat design
Besides rolling out new technologies to cater to today’s tech-toting passenger, a number of airlines and interior suppliers are also looking how to integrate passengers’ own devices with the design of the seat.
Says Daniel Baron, managing director of Tokyo-based brand and cabin design firm LIFT Strategic Design: “The PED storage trend is definitely in full bloom, and will likely become a design requirement in the near future. Once inflight connectivity becomes ubiquitous, the dedicated storage will as well. And it gives airlines an additional message for marketing communications, ie: “A dedicated place for the items that matter most during your flight.”
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www.onboardhospitality.com
The SmartTray X1 table design featuring a built-in groove for holding tablets, e-readers and other portable electronic devices
Adds John Walton, who travels the globe for Australian Business Traveller: “We’re seeing this trend right across the board, from the very back of the plane to deluxe suites in the pointy end. Airlines are realising that nearly everyone carries a phone with them, and that it’s useful to be able to stash it somewhere safe yet convenient. Some airlines are going for special cut-outs in the seat in front of you, especially in Economy, while in Premium Economy there’s often a larger shelf or side storage compartment. In Business it’s surprising how many airlines still haven’t figured out that business travellers notice handy additions like these.” Positive exceptions include airlines such as Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific, who have taken the needs of passengers working on
“Interior suppliers and airlines are looking at how to integrate passengers’ own devices into the seat design”
laptops into consideration in their latest seat designs. For example, passengers in Business on Qatar Airways’ new 787 Dreamliner can dine and work comfortably with a large wood- trimmed sliding table. When dining begins, passengers can use a separate side table to rest their laptops. On a similar note, Cathay Pacific’s new Business seats feature a a bi-fold table swinging out from under the cocktail table, large enough to comfortably hold a laptop or notebook.
On a related note, airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Condor provide
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