Aviointeriors Has Two New Seat Ideas for Flying Safely During the Coronavirus
Taylor Rains April 30, 2020
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, airlines have been taking measures to ensure the safety of passengers when traveling. These include intense cleaning, leaving the middle seat empty, suspending inflight food and beverage service, and requiring flight attendants to wear face masks. More recently, aircraft seat manufacturer, Avioninteriors, has stepped up and introduced two “social distancing” seats as options for battling the spread of coronavirus – the “Glasssafe Seat” and the “Janus Seat.”
Glasssafe Seat
Avioninteriors’ Glasssafe Seat is a seat add-on. The add-on is a separator that can be purchased as a kit and be installed on existing seat to keep the transmission of air and contact between passengers to a minimum. The company gave details of the design on its website:
“”Glassafe” is made of transparent material to make the entire cabin harmonious and aesthetically light, but perfectly fulfilling the objective of creating an isolated volume around the passenger in order to avoid or minimize contacts and interactions via air between passenger and passenger, so as to reduce the probability of contamination by viruses or other.”
The company also explained that the glass can be opaque or ordered with different levels of transparency, and are easily cleaned and hygienic.
Janus Seat
Similar to the Glasssafe Seat, the Janus Seat is surrounded by a shield of material meant to isolate passengers from one another. However, the difference between the two is that the Janus Seat has the middle seat facing backward, and the aisle and window seats facing forwards. The opposite-facing design gave the seat its name – Janus – which is the name of the two-faced god of Ancient Rome. Avioninteriors details the purpose of the seat on its website:
“”Janus” is a two-faced seat, in fact this arrangement allows all three passengers to be separated with a shield made of transparent material that isolates them from each other, creating a protective barrier for everyone. Each passenger has its own space isolated from others, even from people who walk through the aisle.”
Like the Glasssafe Seat, the Janus Seat can also be ordered with different levels of transparency and is easy to clean.
What do you think about these seat designs? Would they make you feel claustrophobic, or would you prefer sitting in a seat with a barrier between you and your neighbor? Let us know in the comments!
[Image Source: Aviointeriors]
You’re Reading
Changes to seat configuration are irrelevant until the ventilation system is capable of filtering the aerosols / viruses out of the recirculated air.
With the cash flow of air companies increasingly empty, it will be difficult for them to have financial conditions to make such a change. In addition, it would have to be FAA approved which would further increase the amount to be invested. Good solutions but no money!
The Janus seats would be a complete reconfiguration of an aircraft's interior. I don't see that happening now, or even quickly. Plus how does controlling the overhead light, AC vent, or call button work for the middle seat. The glasssafe separator, someone pointed out that would slow boarding and egress. I thought FAA sets the planes capacity at how many people can be evacuated in a given timeframe. Would that test need to be redone if this was installed? How about if you are a couple traveling together. Or a family with children. Do you want to be have greatly reduced access to them? Also, would these need to be something that would need to be cleaned between each flight? Looks like a hard surface that I thought was the type that the virus tends to survive on the longest. Jeff
Too bad they used photoshopped people shrunk down to make it look good. Actual photos would not look so good. Can't imagine evacuation times being acceptable with Janus seat.
Clearly neither actually work hence the mock ups designed by someone's eleven year old.