02 May 2016 Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways created much fanfare in 2014 when it launched The Residence, an upmarket 'apartment in the sky' concept for its fleet of A380s, with a personal butler and targeted as an alternative for the wealthy jet set community.
The United Arab Emirates' carrier is now focusing its attention on economy class and it is currently working behind-the-scenes on concepts to improve comfort levels for those at the more price-sensitive end of the market.
"A lot of innovation and breakthroughs have been delivered in premium so the next big breakthrough in cabin interior will be in economy," Peter Baumgartner, Etihad's chief commercial officer, told reporters on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai last week. "[Economy] is where not too much has happened for too long and the requirements and expectations of the travelling public today is for something to happen."
Unveiled in late 2014, its ultra luxury product for the A380 - 'The Residence by Etihad' - is located on the upper deck of the Airbus superjumbo, can accommodate up to two people and includes a living room, separate double bedroom and ensuite shower room and the use of a personal butler trained by the Savoy Butler Academy in London.
Baumgartner said The Residence was seven years in development and testing, but their economy offering might take even longer to get right.
"Guess what, if we hadn't had that amount of time we couldn't have launched what we launched. Yes it is more difficult to deliver a breakthrough in economy, that's why it takes longer... We are actually working on something which is promising, which I can't tell you about now, but it is certainly a revolutionary new addition," he said.
Twister seats
While Etihad has remaining tight lipped on its "revolutionary" plans for economy class, ones of its design partners has given some insights into the latest economy class innovations taking place in the industry.
>London-based Factorydesign, one of three design agencies making up the Etihad Design Consortium which worked on the A380 luxury interiors, has unveiled some of its new economy concepts.
The British creative team has developed the Twister seat, which is a design based around the movement of the human spine and claims to be "a revolutionary concept which could turn the world of economy seating upside down".
"Our eureka moment was sitting on a long haul flight and thinking that your body doesn't have a hinge but has a series of joints up the back and your body twists around a centreline. The [Twister] seat in a real way responds to that," Factorydesign's creative director Adam White told Zawya in a telephone interview.
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White said the seat is currently in testing and the results so far have been positive, adding that the appeal of the design is that it is more comfortable but does not sacrifice any seat count or the number of passenger which can be flown per aircraft.
"The duration of trials was approximately four hours... and in every case it was felt to be a significant improvement," he said. "You can curl up and the seal curls with you.
You can turn and chat to the person next to you and the seat moves with you."
The London-based firm has also developed a funky alternative called the AirLair (below), which is a personalised cocoon, with a double-decker configuration. While the concept allows for 30 percent more passengers within the same space, White admits it is targeted more at the business or premium economy class as the density of seats is still quite low for regular economy.
>Some of the other concepts currently under development are seat designs which are lighter, so the aircraft load is reduced and airlines can save money on fuel costs. "As well as needing to make sure you look after the passenger, increasingly we are also trying to look after the airline [and] make the design of seats so we can reduce weight."
While Factorydesign have worked closely with Etihad in the past, White declined to reveal whether any of the firm's portfolio of new economy class concepts were going to be deployed on the Abu Dhabi carrier's fleet of aircraft.
"I wouldn't be able to comment if we were," he said, only adding that Etihad has demonstrated a need for more customised products. "In a market which is constantly growing and highly competitive you have to get an edge. Etihad does a tremendous job of challenging the norm."
