A cash bar in economy class, now wouldn't that be nice? For this road warrior, it would be very nice indeed.
"There has been talk about cash bars for economy. Whether that continues, with the economic climate, and whether airlines lay out more space for that sort of thing, is not clear," says top transport interiors designer Ceri Rocca, who works in partnership with design consultancy Design Q.
"However, having said that, one of the things that airlines are struggling with is filling the capacity of their seats. So it could be worthwhile having an area like that. They wouldn't be losing money because the seats aren't selling. And they would have more of an edge to sell the other economy seats."
V Australia's fully stocked bar for business class (at right) makes for a good visual example. And there is plenty of history behind bars in the sky.
It wasn't so long ago that passengers enjoyed the legendary Braniff Cocktail Bar and the Pan Am Dining-in-the-Sky restaurant, notes author and consultant Jennifer Coutts Clay.
"Passengers loved these 'Wow' moments and the feeling they were getting extra value for the money they had spent on their first-class tickets," she says.
But what about coach? An economy-class cash bar is just one of the concepts highlighted in my latest interiors feature, Flights of Fancy, which is being released just in time for the Hamburg show.
Need a little more inspiration from the high-flying world of high rollers? Scroll down to see some of Ceri's impressive designs.
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