We visited AIX Hamburg to explore how cabin design is shaping the future of passenger experience.

Experience design at cruising altitude

Saffron leadership visited the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, a gathering that has become something of a barometer for the future of air travel. As an agency working with airlines around the world, it remains an important place for us to see how the industry is responding to changing expectations onboard, not in theory, but in practice.
AIX brings together airlines, manufacturers, designers and suppliers working across every layer of the passenger experience, including seating, inflight entertainment, materials and onboard service.

What passengers experience onboard is shaped by hundreds of small details: the quality of the lighting, the feel of a blanket, the ease of meal service, the placement of a charging port. Across the exhibition, there was a strong focus on increased comfort and usability, especially in Premium Economy and long-haul travel. Seating systems are becoming lighter and more space efficient, while privacy continues to shape the evolution of premium cabins. Passengers increasingly expect more continuity with life on the ground, particularly on longer journeys. Connectivity and personalised inflight entertainment are becoming less of a luxury and more a standard part of the travel experience.

Sustainability measures are going further than in previous years. Bio-based materials, circular design principles and more carefully considered lighting systems are steadily moving into mainstream cabin specification. One of the exhibition’s most interesting areas focused on business aviation interiors. Aircraft cabins are increasingly being designed around the realities of spending long periods of time onboard, whether working, resting, or simply passing time comfortably. In many cases, the atmosphere felt closer to hospitality environments than traditional aircraft interiors.

Many of the conversations connected closely to our work with airlines including <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/work/vueling" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vueling</a>, <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/journal/iag-innovation-brands" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IAG</a>, <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/work/taag" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TAAG</a> and <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/work/gulf-air" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gulf Air</a>, where brand, service and product experience all shape how passengers perceive a journey. Events like AIX feed into our work not because they predict the future, but because they help us understand how travel is already changing.

Inside the future of air travel

Related work

Blanc! Brandays Madrid

Let’s Talk Design #33

When a place understands itself, the world does too