By Updesh Kapur /Doha
Bigger, fatter, taller, wider – the adjectives just roll on, but this is no reference to people.
Any economist will tell you the unit cost incurred by a company to produce, store and sell a product reduces the more you pack into a given area.
Squeezing to the maximum helps reduce the overall cost, a key principle applicable in the business world.
Whether it is a supermarket shelf or car showroom, the notion remains the same – limited space, maximum return is the order of the day.
In the aviation world, aircraft manufacturers continue to find ways to drive efficiency at the lowest possible cost for their airline customers.
Airlines are demanding more efficient planes from their suppliers; whether it is the mainframe built out of lightweight carbon fibre composite materials, or more fuel efficient engines to help bring down operational costs, airlines are having more of a say in what planes of the future will look like.
However, there appears to be a new twist in this statement – and a whole new meaning to being “packed like sardines”.
It’s a phrase travellers often use when every seat on their flight is occupied with no chance to hog two or more seats to stretch out.
Many complain of insufficient leg room or inability to easily navigate past the armrests due to the confined space.
The dreaded middle seats of a wide-body aircraft are perhaps the most despised of any seating arrangement.
You’ve surely been in a situation when you turn up at the airport without a pre-assigned seat, only to be given a seat at the rear of the aircraft or in the middle row of nine or 10 seats. With a 16-hour non-stop flight ahead, it’s the worst start to a travel experience.
It’s a problem that airlines don’t like, facing the wrath of consumers for offering little comfort, particularly if you are travelling at the “back of the bus” – in Economy Class.
But it’s a problem they continue to face. And the only way to address it is by finding ways to improve the customer experience.
This week, however, Airbus, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial jets introduced a new proposition and it appears airlines may not have been consulted.
Responsible for the double-deck A380, the biggest commercial aircraft in the skies today, Airbus is taking the travel experience to new heights.
At the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2015 in Hamburg this week, Airbus unveiled a seating configuration of 11 seats across in Economy Class which equates to three on each side of the plane and five in the middle. Yes, five seats in the middle.
The 3–5–3 configuration, if taken up, will be the most fitted on any commercial aircraft – and for sure will leave already anxious flyers feeling even more claustrophobic.
Existing A380s and other wide-body aircraft have a maximum 3–4–3 economy seat configuration with each row a maximum of 10 seats.
A380s currently offer a typical seating for 525 passengers in a three-class configuration or up to 853 people in an all-economy class arrangement. An additional seat per row will raise the plane’s typical capacity to 544 seats and edging close to a whopping 900 seats in an all-economy configuration.
Airbus argues that in a global market highly focused on high-yield passenger traffic between major city pairs such as London – New York, Dubai – Los Angeles and Paris – Bangkok, and a doubling in traffic size every 15 years, there is demand for higher density planes.
The bigger capacity A380s are seen as the ideal solution to alleviate traffic congestion and maximise profitability at busy airports where high demand landing and take-off slots are hard to come by.
There are 160 A380s in service today, flown by 13 airlines on almost 100 different routes covering 45 destinations linking major airports, essentially key hubs.
The jury is out on how many takers there will be for the new seating configuration of the second generation of A380s, set to be introduced in 2017. UAE-based Emirates is the world’s biggest customer of A380s with 60 in its fleet and a further 80 yet to be delivered.
Emirates, however, has not endorsed the new 11-seat-abreast arrangement, fearing its image as a high quality economy class operator will be diluted. Instead, it is sticking to a format of 10 seats across.
There is likely to be huge resistance to change from A380 operators knowing very well they could lose customers to other airlines. No airline can afford to do so. Today’s travellers are savvy. Before booking a flight, it is not uncommon for them to check which aircraft fly on a particular route and the seat plan to ensure they have the best possible travel experience.
Airlines can ill-afford to lose passengers, particularly in an industry that is so cut-throat.
With competition tough and getting tougher as airlines fly with high operating costs, every dollar makes a difference. Airlines continue to strive to maximise returns on their expensive flying assets.
Most of today’s A380 operators face challenges filling up these monolithic planes. Flying at below full capacity, aside of course during peak times, the A380 is simply too big to fill and an expensive machine to operate.
To fill planes, airlines offer promotions at ridiculously low rates and prefer to have passengers onboard than not at all as the extra dollars help cover the cost of operation. Airbus promises lower seat mile costs with the bigger configuration, but this would only be feasible if airlines feel confident that they can fill the planes and sell seats at higher fares. Airlines’ biggest challenge in the new A380 scenario would be to entice passengers on cramped planes.
Current Economy Class seats on the superjumbo are around 19 inches wide on a 10-abreast seating configuration. Airbus’ new-look 11-abreast offering brings the width down an inch to 18 inches. Not a good selling point at all. Slashing armrest widths, trimming aisles, and reclaiming space between the outer seat and windows are ways in which Airbus is looking to achieve its new layout.
Many will see this is a downgraded passenger experience rather than an enhancement.
When I discussed this issue with a friend, his jaw simply dropped, “oh my God” referring to an even more claustrophobic travel experience ahead if any airline opted to introduce the new configuration.
Let’s see which airline, if any, decides to take the plunge.
♦ Updesh Kapur (Below) is a PR & communications professional, columnist, aviation, hospitality and travel analyst, social and entertainment writer. He can be followed on twitter @updeshkapur
