Plans for new economy plane cabins with no middle seats revealed

PLANES could one day have no middle seats, according to new plans.

The designs were revealed in the annual Crystal Cabin Awards which showcase the newest innovations in aviation.

One of the designs was two-tiered economy cabins with only aisle and window seats.

Spanish design company Taller De Arquitectura T36 was behind the project for this year's awards.

The cabin is split across two levels with three sections, with more seats - but none in the middle.

Instead, there are two rows of two in each section, meaning there are six rows of passengers.

Passengers in the centre of the plane are given virtual windows instead of real ones.

Crystal Cabin Awards spokesperson Julia Grosser told there was "signification innovations" even in economy including bunk beds and connectivity,

She added: "Airlines, manufacturers, and suppliers are heavily investing in their onboard products again."

The awards reveal other innovative designs which could be included on planes in the future.

Air New Zealand first revealed its SkyNest back in 2020, which is set to be introduced on some of its newest planes.

The pods have bunk beds inside which let three people sleep, and can be booked for up to four hours.

While this is limited to just one session per traveller, each pod comes with a privacy curtain, as well as a pillow and sheet which will be changed between each snoozer.

There will also be USB chargers and "ventilation outlets" and will be in both economy and premium economy

Kerry Reeves, Air New Zealand’s head of aircraft programs, told CNN Travel that the innovation was key due to being "a small country at the bottom of the world," adding: "Long-haul travel is vital to keeping us connected and allowing tourists to visit."

Adient and Boeing Encore Interiors introduced new designs for business class passengers, with a lie-flat bed, minibar, library and meeting space for your friends and family.

There are also designs when listening to music or watching films, with Euphony revealing a personal headset in the headrest rather than headphones.

And Skyted's revealed a noise-cancelling mask, developed together with PriestmanGoode, Airbus Development, the European Space Agency Accelerator Program and ONERA.  

There are already lots of cool new designs that have been introduced on planes over the years.

Last year, double decker rows, floating seats with hand luggage stored underneath and cabins which appear underwater were just some of the Crystal Cabin Award designs.

In 2021, the Crystal Cabin Awards saw designs including self-cleaning toilets, anti-jet lag lighting and zero waste play trays.

Air New Zealand has its Skycouch option which lets families pay for special foot rests if they have booked an entire row, to turn them into beds.

And other airlines have similar systems - Lufthansa launched their own makeshift beds in economy, with passengers able to purchase a whole row to themselves to create them.