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Airborne Hotel Systems was present at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2009, held in Hamburg, Germany from 31st March to 2nd April.
Airborne Hotel Systems was present at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2009, held in Hamburg, Germany from 31st March to 2nd April.
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The Airborne Hotel Systems stand, located in Hall B7 of the Hamburg Messe und Congress, displayed a full-size mock-up of the Airborne Hotel (AbH) sleeper cabin concept, recreating a half section of the upper deck cabin of an Airbus A380 superjumbo, albeit with an AbH layout consisting of four modules with six seat-beds..
The attributes and atmosphere of the passenger cabin concept were quickly grasped and appreciated by every visitor, and the enthusiasm of potential users at the prospect of some day flying surrounded by such an environment was evident. Comments like "It feels cozy" or "I wouldn’t mind long flights like this" were frequent, and most visitors cherished the "generous, well-defined individual space" offered by the AbH system.
Already taken back by the cabin's comfortable surroundings, visitors to the stand were further surprised to find out that the mock-up did not represent a first-class or even a business-class cabin, but rather a premium-economy cabin; this due to the AbH concept's optimal redistribution of cabin space, which creates more room per passenger while maintaining, and even increasing, seat count ratios.
In addition to the overall abundance of personal space and the well-balanced level of privacy that the AbH concept offers for each passenger, there were several design features that caught the public's eye and were very popular among visitors. One example is the possibility for mothers to travel comfortably with babies or toddlers —especially in the single seat-bed window modules, which have a special corner that can perfectly fit a small crib—; another design feature that scored high points with visitors was the completely autonomous nature of the carry-on baggage compartments, all of which are personal —one compartment per passenger— and conveniently located within each seat-bed module, so that every passenger can access their hand luggage without the need to stand up or even leave their seat! .
Many attendees tried out the upper-tier seats —set at a height of no more than 130 cm. All of them found it simple to get in and out of them by using the ergonomically designed steps..
As the AbH system's designers had anticipated, upper-tier seats are particularly attractive to younger and fitter travelers, while lower-tier seats are preferred by older passengers, as well as larger persons or those with any impairment.
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All in all, it can be concluded that, at its first-ever presentation in a true-life environment, the AbH concept was received with great optimism and enthusiasm by industry insiders and, above all, by air travelers.
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