Aircraft

Premier design consultancy Design Q is moving quickly to develop a new high-density sideways seating configuration for short-haul travel, and could begin testing the solution by year-end.

The concept, first reported in August by ATI sister Flight International magazine, entails a row of inward facing seats on each side of the aircraft plus two back-to-back rows down the middle resulting in a configuration whereby passengers are facing each other.

Now dubbed Maxcabin, the fast-moving project was conceived by Design Q to "improve comfort, safety, boarding times and passenger count whilst also reducing internal structures and weight", says Design Q, which was instrumental in the design of Virgin Atlantic's acclaimed "Upper Class" seats.

Several partners are contributing to the analysis of the Maxcabin proposal with a potential crash simulation in December this year, adds the firm.