Flying into the future

RARELY has there been a shortage of suggestions from passengers on how to improve the flying experience, but what would a Silicon Valley entrepreneur do to reinvent the industry?Jude Gomila, the co-founder of HeyZap, a gaming company, stepped up to the challenge recently.

Some of his ideas seem a bit off the wall, such as coating common surfaces with silver to prevent the spread of colds and flu, but as a frequent flyer Mr Gomila has put some serious thought into the issue and come up with nine core areas that could be improved. For instance, he says airlines should learn from the shipping industry and re-engineer planes so that people are pre-loaded into detached air-conditioned cabins that would then be rolled onto the plane, thus allowing passengers to “board” before the plane even arrives.
More realistic ideas involve better seat design, including meshed chairs, more localised temperature controls that are operated from a personal display, and reading lights that don't spread onto a neighbour’s space. He also advocates removing armrest controls in favour of a high-resolution touchscreen and using magnets rather than a turn fob to secure tray tables.
Some of these ideas, or similar ones, appear to already be more than plausible, judging by the finalists of the Crystal Cabin Award 2013, part of the Aircraft Interiors Expo to be held in Hamburg in April. Among the 21 products and concepts under consideration are a “stylish and robust capacitive touchscreen” by Dornier Technologie Systems, a German company; a lightweight, self-cleaning seat table integrated into the armrest by English designers Acro Aircraft Seating; and ceiling panels by Diehl Aircabin of Germany that reduce drafts and cabin noise while improving mood lighting.
Mr Gomila also has several suggestions about speeding up the check-in process, and, again, there are already some similar initiatives in progress according to Amadeus, a travel technology provider, and as Gulliver has previously noted. In Reinventing the Airport Ecosystem, Amadeus says that by 2015 passengers should expect to see some of the industry's more forward-thinking members adopt measures such as passive “in-pocket” scanning of e-tickets and radio-frequency-ID-enabled travel documents, as well as near-field communication being used for “check-in, baggage check, security, boarding, lounge access and as a wallet in and around the airport”. Seat allocation could also be based on the amount of hand luggage a passenger is carrying.
The hope is that by 2025 passengers will be able to bypass the terminal entirely, with premium travellers checking in offsite and passing through security en-route. Biometric and perhaps even genetic information will be used to automatically check in passengers upon airport entry. Ultimately, Mr Gomila writes, flying should be such a pleasant experience that you want to jump back on the plane. Unfortunately, he adds, “until Virgin Airlines opened up, it's as if innovation on the experience of the passenger just stopped in the 1960s and has been going backwards ever since.” Gulliver, then, hasn't been the only one to notice.
Passengers have given some relevant suggestions to how to improve flying for the future. Although I still think some of the ideas are not going to impress the aviation industry, as re- engineering planes which will have detached air controlled cabins so people can board before the plane arrives. I think this idea would not work, as people wouldn’t get that excitement when getting on a plane and going on a holiday. But regarding technology and having better seat design, touch screen displays, meal tray designs and reading light suggestions are more appropriate, as this would improve in-flight experience . Its good that aviation industry is getting feedback from frequent flyer customers, and travelers as this would improve future technology in the air.