Under-Seat Storage Wins Airbus Competition
Joe Cortez May 22, 2017
Design by Hong Kong students utilizes additional compartment space to take home award
A design team comprised of Hong Kong students are over $33,000 richer, after submitting a winning design for a “Private Stowage Compartment.” Airbus announced the group, Team DAELead from the University of Hong Kong, won the first prize in the fifth Airbus Fly Your Ideas competition.
The first-prize winning design was selected from over 360 submitted ideas from engineering teams around the world. In the final round, Team DAELead were one of five teams invited to Airbus’ headquarters in France to prototype and test their design before a final presentation.
In their prototype, the team conceptualized a compartment that would be constructed underneath the flyers’ under-seat compartment, often utilized for personal items. The compartment would open to reveal extra storage space, allowing flyers to stow a laptop or other personal items during landing and takeoff, thus effectively doubling the amount of space travelers have underneath the seat in front of them.
“The judges were impressed by the vision and skill of Team DAELead in seeing such a simple but effective solution for improved passenger experience,” Airbus wrote in their press release. “The new aircraft cabin design fully utilizes the space between the cabin floor and the cargo ceiling to give the passengers their own personal luggage space.”
Over 5,500 students from higher education facilities from around the world participated in the fifth edition of the Airbus-sponsored competition. Since its inception in 2008, teams from 650 universities in over 100 countries have submitted ideas to improve the customer experience aboard commercial aircraft.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
On reading closely, this sounds like a compartment in the cabin floor. That would have very significant weight penalties as well as make seat reconfigurations impossible.
I can't imagine how these could exist without taking up legroom, or removing the ability to stretch your legs under the seat in front of you. The concept originated in Asia, so possibly didn't consider the much taller frames of their western counterparts. I for one don't want to see this on planes anytime soon.
These compartments will probably impede upon legroom space, and since they'll probably need to be closed for takeoff and landing, any sort of ground delays and/or flights to/from LaGuardia would be a pain, especially since airlines are installing slimline seats with less legroom.
No use just telling us about it. Where's a photo of this 'design' ?