Innovation on-board: Exceeding passenger and airline expectations for Airbus jetliner cabins

Airbus’ cabin interior arrangement team is turning airlines’ ideas into real solutions – and bringing the superior cabin experience of an Airbus aircraft to passengers around the world. 
This dedicated team of some 20 members works in close collaboration with customers and the Airbus marketing department to ensure that each cabin layout meets operator expectations in terms of comfort and efficiency, while also conforming to regulatory and technical requirements. 
With its activities covering Airbus’ entire modern, market-leading product line of single-aisle and widebody jetliners, the team can create several new cabin layouts per day for cabin definition, customisation, core engineering or retrofit projects, as well as future research and technology initiatives. 
Maximising passenger well-being and airline operations 
Cabin layout is a core competency for Airbus – with the company launching a recent initiative to further enhance the cabin arrangement process for customers, facilitate relationships with suppliers and harmonise ways of working across all aircraft programmes. 
"We have to put ourselves in the shoes of the airline, and consider what they really want," said Garrett Smith, an Airbus Interior Arrangement Manager for the A330 Family. "We know that they need to be economical, they need the comfort and the service, but we also need to identify the finer points that differentiate their request from any other so we can propose a solution that makes them say, 'that's exactly what I asked for.'" 
This customer- and passenger-focused philosophy is at the heart of all Airbus aircraft cabins, which bring together the best in innovation and design with the perfect blend of features and services – all to provide a superior flying experience. "Our team helps ensure that Airbus offers the most optimised configurations," said Benoît Peyrard, an Airbus Interior Arrangement Manager for the A380.
Bringing the cabin innovations to Airbus’ latest aircraft 
The company’s interior layout expertise has played an important role in shaping its latest products and preparing the future. For example, on the all-new the A350 XWB, the cabin team develops innovative and customised cabin layouts by coordinating with airline customers to select the jetliner’s standardised options of pre-developed cabin furnishing solutions – as well as the highly customisable features for servicing and comfort. 
This improves customer satisfaction for operators and streamlines Airbus’ industrial processes, explained Christelle Vetter, Head of A350 XWB Cabin Interior Definition. "We are involved from the very beginning and when we see that the customer is happy with their optimised aircraft, there is a real sense of satisfaction.” 
In addition to the A350 XWB, Airbus also has utilised this cabin team for other upgrades to its highly-efficient product line. This includes the design of new cabin options for the single-aisle A321neo (new engine option) and widebody A330neo, which configure the interiors for a more flexible and efficient layout that maintains the jetliners’ high comfort standards and competitiveness. 
Getting the most from every inch 
No matter the aircraft, finding solutions that enable the success of airline operators and maximise the passenger experience often comes down to the smallest details, and the Airbus cabin interior arrangement team looks for every possible advantage. 
“Operators challenge us to get the most out of each inch,” concluded Claire Chagneau, an Airbus Interior Arrangement Manager for single-aisle aircraft. “If we can gain an inch for crew operation or passengers it is a big success!”