could reverse airplane seating be the new way to fly post COVID-19?

an italian company has shared two proposals for the future of air travel post COVID-19, including one that involves reverse airplane seating. as the effects of the virus continue to influence many aspects of our daily lives, the airline industry is investigating how it can make provisions for safe travel. although recent studies claim that the cabin air quality is comparable to what is observed in other indoor environments, such as offices, schools, and homes, plans to keep the middle seat vacant for the foreseeable future have been floated as a way to maintain social distancing.

all images courtesy of avio interiors

titled ‘janus’, avio interiors’ first proposal references the two-faced ancient roman god with a design that has passengers facing both ways. ‘this proposal is distinguished by the reverse position of the center seat of the triple to ensure the maximum isolation between passengers seated next to each other,’ explains the company. meanwhile, passengers seated in the side seats are oriented in the direction of flight.

the ‘janus’ configuration sees one third of passengers facing the rear of the aircraft

each seat is surrounded on three sides by a shield that limits breath from being directly passed to the adjacent seats. the arrangement allows all three passengers in a row to be separated from each other, as well as from flight attendants using the aisle. made from materials that are safe and easy to clean, the designers say that the ‘janus’ configuration is available with the shield in an opaque material or with different degrees of transparency.

‘glassafe’ shields can be applied to existing seats

avio interiors has also developed a kit-level concept that could be installed on existing planes to reduce interaction among passengers. titled ‘glassafe’, the proposal involves creating an isolated volume around each passenger in order to minimize contact and the chances of potentially passing on a virus. the designers say that the shield could be transparent, to ensure that the cabin appears light, or more opaque to provide increased privacy.

‘glassafe’ can be supplied in an opaque material or with different degrees of transparency