Nifty Plane Cabin Design Lets Wheelchair Users Fly Without The Hassle
By Mikelle Leow, 28 Nov 2022
Airlines are becoming more inclusive, with some diversifying their uniforms so flight crew can embrace their true selves on and off work. With that being said, that doesn’t mean their work is done.
Flights are designed for walking, abled persons—though let’s not get started on the sardine tins that are the cabins of low-cost carriers, which aren’t great for anyone. Passengers on wheelchairs, on the other hand, have to be lifted onto smaller versions to be rolled between aisles, before being carried again into regular airplane seating.
There’s a carryover effect, as well. The US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation cites that in June 2022 alone, airplanes mishandled 1,145 wheelchairs and scooters—or an average of 37 per day. Not the kind of souvenir you want to remember your vacation by.
Luckily, there’s a new seat solution in the works that could make travel more convenient for loved ones who are disabled or elderly. Multidisciplinary design company PriestmanGoode have joined hands with UK nonprofit Flying Disabled to bring ‘Air4All’, a clever convertible seat that supports passengers’ own wheelchairs without affecting the seat capacity for abled fliers.
On its website, Flying Disabled reminds carriers that “no airline likes to lose money,” so it wouldn’t make sense if they keep ruining wheelchairs.
In response, Air4All is created to work with folding seats on the first row of the plane. Passengers will arrive at their designated spots via their wheelchairs, and then independently click their personal mobility equipment onto Air4All’s patented tracks, Fast Company reports. A small bracket attached to the wheelchair enables this clicking mechanism, which keeps travelers securely seated throughout the journey.
Not only can disabled users remain seated in their own wheelchairs from transit to touchdown, but airlines also won’t have to reconfigure their seating for wheelchair users—the same foldable seat can accommodate abled and disabled fliers alike. Again, it panders to airliner’s concerns about potentially losing money.
As PriestmanGoode explains: “The system is designed so that different powered wheelchair types can be certified for flying and will be able to interface with a wide range of airline seats. If no wheelchairs require access, the seats function as regular airline seats.”
“Air4All will facilitate a smoother boarding and disembarking experience for [passengers with reduced mobility] and will also significantly reduce the number of wheelchairs that are damaged through poor handling,” adds the studio’s chairman Paul Priestman.
Accordingly, PriestmanGoode has partnered with at least one brand, a subsidiary of a prominent airline, to bring Air4All to aircraft.
Air4All’s patent system also covers all modes of public transport, so you could be seeing one of these accessible seat designs in the future.
[via Apartment Therapy and Fast Company, images via Air4All]