Skip to main content

Wider seats, bigger bathrooms and LED lighting dress up new Airbus cabins

Airbus is launching a new cabin design, called Airspace by Airbus, that promises to deliver enhanced passenger comfort by using new technologies it has recently developed. The concept will roll out in the new A330neo jet, which is expected to go into service in 2017.

The cabin is designed around comfort, ambience, service, and design, Airbus says. Its borrows some elements already used in the A350 XWB. It has wide seats in coach (18 inches), larger overhead storage bins, roomier bathrooms with antibacterial surfaces, unobstructed space under seats, and LED ambient lighting. On the sidewalls, the areas surrounding the windows are beveled to give the illusion of more space. The lighting, which can be found in the A350 XWB, is designed to help mitigate jet lag by cycling through various color temperatures, which helps adjust the body’s sleep-wake cycle – crucial in long-haul travel. A common design language is used throughout the plane, to tie everything together.

kitd.html5loader(“flash_kplayer_708d42bfbf4s”,”http://api.kewego.com/video/getHTML5Thumbnail/?playerKey=2dc869296ecb&sig=708d42bfbf4s”);
Please enable Javascript to view this content

For the crew, the rest area will have new padding and mattress materials, as well as improved lighting and heating. By moving the area to the lower desk, Airbus says the A330neo lets airlines add more passenger seats. Like the cabin in Airbus’ larger A380, the A330neo’s will be one of the quietest, the company claims.

Les Shu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
Hyundai Ioniq 5 sets world record for greatest altitude change
hyundai ioniq 5 world record altitude change mk02 detail kv

When the Guinness World Records (GWR) book was launched in 1955, the idea was to compile facts and figures that could finally settle often endless arguments in the U.K.’s many pubs.

It quickly evolved into a yearly compilation of world records, big and small, including last year's largest grilled cheese sandwich in the world.

Read more
Global EV sales expected to rise 30% in 2025, S&P Global says
ev sales up 30 percent 2025 byd sealion 7 1stbanner l

While trade wars, tariffs, and wavering subsidies are very much in the cards for the auto industry in 2025, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are still expected to rise substantially next year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

"2025 is shaping up to be ultra-challenging for the auto industry, as key regional demand factors limit demand potential and the new U.S. administration adds fresh uncertainty from day one," says Colin Couchman, executive director of global light vehicle forecasting for S&P Global Mobility.

Read more
Faraday Future could unveil lowest-priced EV yet at CES 2025
Faraday Future FF 91

Given existing tariffs and what’s in store from the Trump administration, you’d be forgiven for thinking the global race toward lower electric vehicle (EV) prices will not reach U.S. shores in 2025.

After all, Chinese manufacturers, who sell the least expensive EVs globally, have shelved plans to enter the U.S. market after 100% tariffs were imposed on China-made EVs in September.

Read more