Airbus A380 11-abreast seating: the impact on passenger experience in the digital age (Part 1)

The announcement of the new 11-abreast seating by Airbus for its A380 program at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2015 in Hamburg, has triggered a passionate debate among aviation professionals and enthusiasts about the future of passenger experience (PaxEx) in aviation.

“Will we need to pack our limbs in a separate container, Ikea-style, before we board a flight in the future?” wondered some experts.

“Unhuman!” tweeted others.

Some went as far as to boycott any airline that installed that configuration, when we’re still some time away from that milestone.

At SimpliFlying, we like to analyze any major industry shift from an airline branding lense, before we jump to conclusions. In this first part of the analysis, we assess the impact of the perceived downgrade in passenger experience on the airline brand. In Part 2 of the analysis, we discuss how can airlines leverage the connected travellers to mitigate the risks.

The Airbus A380 11-abreast seating

The crux of the 11-abreast seating is that the configuration, which Airbus has dubbed as “Basic Economy”, will lead to three major changes that impact PaxEx.

1. Airbus has introduced a five-seat middle section to the cabin, making it a 3-5-3 configuration. Airbus claims that they’ll achieve the additional seat count while keeping the seat width at 18”.
2. The window seat will be squeezed in such that passengers might find it hard to straighten their legs fully, which can be daunting on a long haul A380 flight.
3. The arm-rests would be squeezed 2cm, which is almost an inch, which will give a new meaning to armrest battles on a cross-continental flight

Despite the potential discomfort, why are airlines likely to adopt these new seats? Well, Airbus promises up to $7mn in additional revenue per year per A380 for airlines choosing this configuration. And that will drive demand from airlines. So, what’s the real issue potentially faced by the airline brand?

Is the seat next to me empty? Let’s run some numbers.

Perhaps the most important source of comfort for most passengers flying in economy is whether the seat next to theirs is empty, and this is where things get interesting.

In the current 3-4-3 configuration, the A380 economy class needs to be 70% full for each passenger to have at least one empty seat next to them (aisle included). In the 3-5-3 configuration the airline can fill an additional 39 seats and you can still have an empty seat next to you. Does this mean same comfort with more passengers? Potentially, because the middle seat in the middle row will only be filled if the flight is really, really full.

Though, the window seat is a different ball game, since it seems to be  growing right out of the window itself, restricting passenger’s movement particularly the taller ones. And there sure are a lot of window seats on an A380. We expect that to be a sticking point with passengers.

A lot more carry-on bags

With more seats come more passengers, who bring aboard more carry on bags. Airbus, and those airlines who operate the new configuration need to prepare ahead for the trend that has already impacted airlines operating the high-density 10-abreast Boeing 777-300ER.

Air Canada is a prime example of an airline whose brand took a hit when a baggage handler was filmed throwing gate-checked carry-on bags over 10 feet through the air into the loading bin below the aircraft. The video went viral in to time and the airline had to act. What will airlines do when more people bring on carry-on bags, with the overhead bin remaining the same on the A380?

At least 1000 devices, and hundreds of Tweets!

More people doesn’t just mean more bags. It means more devices too! According to SITA OnAir, there are over 900 devices aboard an A380 today. With the new configuration, the number of devices on board an A380 will surely exceed 1000.

With the likes of Emirates offering free fleet-wide connectivity, and other airlines likely to follow suit, airlines should expect hundreds of passengers connected to the internet on each A380 in the future. This also means that every minor discomfort will end up on Facebook or Twitter, often before a flight attendant learns about it.

Though, it’s these connected travellers who provide the biggest opportunity for the airline as well. How can airlines future-proof  their brand, while still increasing revenues? We discuss in the Part 2 of the article.