The Airplane - Jay Spenser [123]
Airlines must balance their costs against the services their passengers desire. Safe transportation to one’s destination is the basic service, of course, and on short flights where comfort is less important it might be the only service. But that’s not the only way that air carriers define passenger perceptions.
As it turns out, airlines also determine what kind of seats their passengers occupy in flight and how many seats in all are in the airplane. Seats are buyer-furnished equipment, and airlines obtain this BFE from third-party vendors and have them installed in their airplane by the manufacturer that is building it for them.
Seat width and especially seat pitch (how closely spaced the rows are) have a significant impact on how we as travelers feel about the trip. It’s an important decision requiring a fine balance. More seats translates directly into greater potential revenue for airlines but also means less legroom and lower overall comfort for passengers.
Stuff too many seats in your airplane and your unhappy passengers will badmouth your airline to friends, hurting your reputation, even as they take their business to your competitors. On the other hand, provide too much comfort and you won’t earn as much, placing you at an economic disadvantage.
In addition to the seats, airlines also decide on the in-flight entertainment system, another BFE item. With so many experience-defining decisions in the hands of the carriers, the same airplane type can exhibit very different configurations and comfort levels depending on which airline’s fleet it is in, whether it’s being used for short flights or long ones, and so on. While the airplane’s designers determine a lot, therefore, they can’t take all the credit—or blame.
If economy-class travel is less enjoyable today, the same is not necessarily true of premium-fare travel, particularly at long range. Flying internationally in a first-class cabin today can be very luxurious. Passengers typically enjoy excellent service, ample legroom, solicitous flight attendants, and gourmet foods and wines. At night, particularly on very long flights, they might occupy the latest in cocoon-style sleeper seats that convert into semi-private beds complete with adjustable reading lamps and personal entertainment systems.
With two full passenger decks, the Airbus A380 superjumbo—the world’s largest commercial transport—carries more passengers at one time than any previous jetliner. The A380 is the only jetliner with two full-length passenger decks and stairs at both ends. As air travelers gain experience with this flying giant, it too will shade collective perceptions of what it means to fly in the modern world.
Many international airlines with long nonstop routes offer first-class seating that converts to flat beds, like these in an Airbus A380 superjumbo.
Air Team Images
Airbus provides airlines tremendous flexibility to configure their A380s in ways that distinguish their service offerings and burnish perceptions of their brands. Whether or not this program is ultimately a success for Airbus and its parent company, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), the airplane itself is truly remarkable.
Today the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is poised to again change our expectations of air travel. This airplane is as different inside from previous airliners as the 747 was when it entered service. Boeing and Teague expect the 787 to instill a newfound connectedness with the elements that rekindles the wonder of flight.
13 SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
MAKING FLYING SAFER
Engineering is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science.
—HERBERT HOOVER (1874–1964)
Just for fun, imagine that Wilbur Wright, Louis Blériot, the Baroness Raymonde de Laroche, Igor Sikorsky, and other flight pioneers are magically transported