Airbus unveils new cabin brand adding more seats to planes

By Sarah Young
LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus
AIR.PA unveiled a new cabin brand on Wednesday designed to
help cost-conscious airlines carry more passengers on long-haul
flights while avoiding additional discomfort.
The move reflects the rivalry between major planemakers to
jazz up interiors and give airlines more flexibility on cabins
as the industry struggles to capture more traffic without
angering passengers.
Airbus said the "Airspace by Airbus" brand would debut on
its upgraded A330, the A330neo, which is due in service from
late 2017, before the new designs are rolled out to other jets.
Airlines will still be able to choose what cabin layout they
want but with the new designs an A330neo will on average gain 10
seats compared with the existing A330 model, which can take up
to 300 passengers.
Airbus and rival Boeing (NYSE:BA) BA.N are vying to add more seats
to make their jets more economically attractive for airlines
while claiming passengers will not feel the difference, though
many consumer groups say cabins feel increasingly crowded.
The trend has produced increasingly bitter industry branding
wars in recent years, with each of the world's two largest
planemakers accusing the other of sacrificing comfort.
Airbus said by rearranging galley and lavatory space, the
extra seats would be added to the A330neo with no reduction in
seat width and still with eight seats across each row.
"We are putting more passengers on the same amount of space
but because of the cleverness and the way we have designed it we
don't have to compromise on comfort," Airbus's executive vice
president of strategy and marketing Kiran Rao said.
The same set of options will later be available on the
long-haul A350 and A380, adding 12 seats and 50 seats
respectively, Airbus said.
Adding seats is one way to reduce operating costs per seat,
a key industry barometer, alongside changes to the structure of
the aircraft itself or more efficient engines.
At the same time, planemakers are increasingly stepping into
areas previously jealously guarded by airlines and specialist
cabin suppliers by offering eye-catching effects, competing more
on cabin experience rather than launching costly new models.
Boeing has a cabin brand called Sky Interiors and recently
unveiled projections of light and images on ceilings and walls.
Airbus said its new brand would include a quieter cabin and
new ambient lighting options as it trys to address the growing
importance of cabins on social media, where passengers post
reviews and photos, and make decisions based on them.
Analysts also said a standardised palette of cabin options
could help to reduce the delays which have plagued the plane
cabin industry and threatened some deliveries as airlines demand
more and more customised features.
Fabrice Bregier, president of planemaking at Airbus has said
French seatmaker Zodiac ZODC.PA , which has been dogged by
production delays, would not be involved with the A330neo.