Unexpected Baggage In Cargo Area: Airbus Offers Cargo ‘Nap-Space’

The prospect of lying down on a plane, unless you’re directly on the ground, is more than rare. At best, passengers looking for enough space for getting comfortable sleeping space would need to pay in the thousands. Having a sit-down sleep is a pain in the neck, both metaphorically and literally for countless passengers.

But with a partnership between Airbus and seat manufacturer, Zodiac Aerospace, this could be a thing of the past. The collaboration seeks to convert under/unused cargo space into sleeping areas. This development will see planes offering unique, long-haul ‘nap-space’ for passengers looking to get some sleep.

Cargo ‘Nap-Space’: no views but plenty of leg-room

While the views would be a choice of wall and corridor, the vast difference in space would be a welcome change. The sleeping spaces were announced during a speech at a conference in Hamburg and are expected for rollout by 2020. Starting with an initially small number of Airbus’ existing fleet, depending on its success could catch on.

Qantas Airlines also floated the idea of sleeping areas for its longer-haul flights last month. The airline has since completed its first non-stop flight from Australia to the UK recently, with new routes to Dallas and Seattle planned. Airbus is also capable of fitting cargo holds with sleeping areas both on its new models. Including retro-fitting older models with these areas if they prove widely successful.