How flying might look different in the future

Designer Jeffrey O'Neill created the Zephyr Seat, a double-decker-like design that would allow passengers in economy class to lie flat, while also maintaining social distancing.

Kind of like a bunk bed, two people would share a row, but one on top of the other, meaning more privacy and space without airlines having to compromise on passenger numbers.

According to CNN, O'Neill will have to test the seat's safety next, which could take up to three years. It is currently crowdfunded and has received over 424% of its original goal at the time of writing.

Aircraft engineering company Haeco came up with a way to space people apart by limiting the number of travelers on planes, but without necessarily costing airlines money in lost ticket revenue.

It proposes mixing passengers and cargo in the cabin by creating devices that allow for safe package stowage between rows of passengers. And as DW news points out, "demand for cargo capacity is bigger than for seats."

According to a press release, Haeco plans on "using packages to distance passengers and maintain proper weight and balance requirements."

Different designs would be able to hold a different amount of weight and package sizes, and can be delivered within four to six weeks, according to the press release.

Italian design firm Avio Interiors has created renderings that posit a solution for keeping flights full while minimizing passengers' exposure to one another. Its concept would reverse the middle seat in each row of three and include transparent dividers to shield passengers from one another.

The Glassafe is another design by Avio Interiors. This concept, however, uses existing infrastructure, as it can simply be added on to existing seats.

According to a press release, it allows planes to maintain full capacity while isolating passengers from one another, minimizing the contact between them, and reducing the probability of contamination via aerosols.

Design company Teague introduced AirShield, which they describe in a press release as "the world's first germ isolation system that uses controlled airflow to restrict the spread of a virus."

The company's press release says the 3D-printed device would be positioned on top of the existing vents above seats to contain droplets from coughs or sneezes within that passengers' own space, thus slowing the spread of viruses.

According to the same press release, the system is currently being developed for a planned release later this year.

Aerospace manufacturer Safran and transportation technology company Universal Movement collaborated on Interspace Lite, a concept for a new seat design with a curved barrier to separate those sitting in the aisle from those in the window seat, while blocking off the middle seat.

Like many of the other designs, this is a temporary kit that can be added to existing seats, and removed post-pandemic. But unlike some of the other shields, this one isn't transparent, making for a more private flying experience.

The seat design was originally released in 2019 to make sleeping more comfortable, CNN reports, but was redesigned during the pandemic to enable social distancing and minimize the spread of the coronavirus.

According to Safran's website, Interspace Lite should be available this summer.

Florian Barjot, an aeronautical engineer at Earth Bay, also designed a product that could be used on existing infrastructure, rather than redesign plane interiors entirely.

PlanBay is a concept for a removable shield for middle seats meant to protect passengers from both behind and neighboring seats, while also maintaining social distance by blocking middle seats.

Dutch company Aviation Glass said in a press release that its AeroGlass screen "makes it possible for large groups to fly in a post-COVID-19 world."

Made of extra thin and strong laminated glass designed specifically for aircraft interiors, these screens can be fitted onto existing seats, protecting passengers from one another and minimizing contact, while maintaining airlines' ability to keep flights full.

According to the press release, AeroGlass meets the strict aviation industry requirements and the safety regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

• Read more:
• From longer waits to blood tests, here are 18 ways flying could change
• Cheaper flights and flexible cancellation fees might be here for a while. Here's what air travel may look after the pandemic.
• The risk of getting sick on a plane is lower than you might think — if you know what to watch out for
• Experts say that picking the window seat on a plane can lower your risk of getting sick