Designing a floor plan using aircraft seat comfort knowledge by aircraft interior experts.
Shabila Anjani, Yu Song, Peter Vink
PMID 33337403WHAT IT FOUND
Aircraft interior experts and computer algorithms both achieved a maximum of 48 seats in a test cabin section.
Experts prioritized passenger comfort and regulatory feasibility, while algorithms found layouts with slightly higher potential revenue by rotating seats, though the comfort impact of these rotated configurations remains unknown.
Key findings
01Experts and computer algorithms both identified a maximum seat count of 48 for the tested cabin section.
02Computer-generated layouts achieved higher potential revenue by utilizing rotated seats, although the comfort implications of these configurations were not assessed.
03Adding business class seats to the expert-designed floor plans did not increase the potential profit of the cabin section.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study did not define the flight duration for the cabin section, which affects seat size requirements. Comfort levels for rotated seats generated by the algorithm were not measured or known. Experts worked in groups, so individual variability in decision-making was not captured. The study used a specific set of seat dimensions that may not reflect all airline configurations. No actual passengers were involved; all comfort assessments were based on expert knowledge and previous literature.
Declared interests
None to report.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that computer-optimized layouts are superior for passenger experience; while they yielded higher potential revenue, they achieved this by rotating seats in ways that have not been tested for comfort and may increase manufacturing and safety compliance costs.