Whisperer

It may not sound too appealing, but after picking up a prize at the 2019 Crystal Cabin Awards at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Germany, passengers could soon be offered the chance to rest their weary limbs in an airplane’s windowless cargo cabin.

A panel of aircraft interior experts judged more than 100 entries from 22 countries with the aim of recognising new ideas that could be implemented very soon in airplanes worldwide.

The Cabin Concepts Award went to aircraft manufacturer Airbus, in cooperation with French company Safran. These two aviation powerhouses were recognised for their ‘Lower Deck Pax Experience Modules’ – compartments designed to fit into the aircraft cargo, to extend the passenger space below the standard cabin.

The designers explained the main crux of the concept is to provide a quiet, dark – and hitherto-unused-by-passengers – space for travellers to sleep.

It’d be up to the airline to decide how they’d sell such a concept to passengers – would you just pop down below when you want to sleep, or could you theoretically spend an entire intercontinental flight in the windowless cargo area?

The companies believe many passengers would be keen on the idea, particularly if it’s priced as a premium economy option.