Airbus to Introduce Sleeping Pods in Planes from 2020

The reason is the amount of leg room airlines provide for their customers. In their lust to get the most moneyout of every flight, they cram as many human bodies as possible in the flying cylinder and send them all flying over the Atlantic, to sleep in a sitting position.

That could change, in theory, as soon as 2020, the year when Airbus and its partner Zodiac Aerospace plan to introduce passenger sleeping berths in the catalog of certified solutions, at first for the A330.

Their idea is that sleeping, as well as other types of modules (rest areas, conference rooms, as shown in the video below), could be fitted inside the aircraft’s cargo compartments.

A passenger wanting and needing to sleep would have to pay extra money on top of their regular in-plane seat. That means that essentially the same people who didn’t have the leg room problem we mentioned earlier, those traveling in first-class, would also be the main targets for this new system.

“This approach to commercial air travel is a step change towards passenger comfort,” said Geoff Pinner, in charge of Airbus Cabin & Cargo.

“We have already received very positive feedback from several airlines on our first mock-ups."

Anyone choosing this service would be sleeping in the cargo hold of an airplane, surrounded by containers that can transport anything from hard cash to cattle.

Luckily, they would have no clue about that, as there are no windows fitted on the sleeping modules. They also seem pretty nicely isolated from outside smells and noises.

Airlines are very specific on how the planes they buy are to be configured, so we're very eager to learn which of the major operators would choose to fit such a system into their planes.

Also, will they overbook the beds as well?