COVID-19 Changing Airplane Design
The coronavirus is changing a lot of our world. To say that we are going to have a "new normal" is an understatement. A lot of things will be radically different from how they were the beginning of the year.
Many industries saw many changes over the last few years. Technology has been changing things at an incredible pace.
One area that is still the same is airplane design, specifically the interior of the plane.
For the last few decades, the layout remained fairly similar. Seats tend to be packed in tightly, with little leg room. They are usually clustered in 2-3 seats, with 8-10 making up a row. They seats recline slightly but, overall, are not very comfortable.
Unfortunately, this makes for a rough experience on long trips. It is not uncommon for international flights to take 10-15 hours. Many opt to fly overnight meaning that they want to sleep. With the way the planes are set up, this is difficult.
We now have the added issue being too close to each other which will cause many to forgo flying.
Could there be a more comfortable and safer way to design planes?
A start up company, Zephyr Aerospace, has created a double-decker design where seats end up laying flat. It also separates passengers from each other so they are not packed in like cattle.
This could make flying more attractive in a post-coronavirus world.
With all the changes going on in the world, why should we not look at re-designing the interior of planes. Certainly passengers want more comfort and the safety question will really come into play going forward.
One of the biggest problems with airlines is they buy planes and keep them in operation for decades. The price tag of them necessitates keeping them in service that long. Thus, we do not see a high turnover in an airline's fleet.
Over the next decade, we ware likely to see many alternatives to airplanes arise. Autonomous vehicles could pose a threat to short hop flights. Anything that can be driven in 10 hours could be done using an autonomous "pod" that is similar to a travel car on a train.
Customers demands are only going to increase. Will the old plane design still hold up?
It is obvious that many are trying to come up with new ideas.
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