As life goes on in the midst of the Coronavirus, it is bringing with it creative ways of doing just about everything, from fashion to fitness. Of course one of the industries that is adapting most quickly to COVID-19 – and is most damaged by it too – is air travel.
The age-old question of how to make flying more comfortable always existed but that question has become even more important as passengers and airlines alike look to resume regular travel. For one London design firm, the answer may lie in a futuristic way to configure business class seats. Factorydesign London recently released “Air Lair”, which envisions business class flying in individual pods that are stacked in a honeycomb structure. Each Air Lair pod gives passengers the ability to control ambient temperature, airflow, lighting and entertainment settings. Additionally, the cocoon environment allows for greater privacy and increased sanitation and hygiene.
Swipe the gallery below for a closer look:
While the pod concept isn’t entirely new on airlines like Emirates, which has fully closeable suites, or Singapore Air, where first class flyers can lay back in sliding door enclosed suites, the beauty of Air Lair is that it is retrofitted for existing aircrafts so structural changes to the body of an airplane would be minimal, and the seating arrangement would allow for even more space for flyers. While the renderings for Air Lair are currently being floated for business and first-class, the firm originally created the design for the back of the airplane where the pods could serve as a work space, or accommodate families or solo travelers.
Considering Factorydesign London were the masterminds behind Delta airlines’ business class seats with doors, Air Lair cocoons may be coming to an airline near you sooner than later.
