Qantas is considering some crazy improvements to its long-haul planes—including exercise bikes, an in-flight café, and free noise-canceling headphones for all—according to the latest release from its not-so-top-secret Project Sunshine. In preparation for the soon-to-be-new world's longest flight from Sydney to London, clocking in at a whopping 20 hours and 20 minutes and expected to launch in 2022, the airline has been working with the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney to get a real grasp on what passengers actually need to make a flight that long bearable. Among the most frequently requested perks? Seat-less common spaces for getting up, stretching legs, and even grabbing a drink.

The requests point to a near-total redesign of a plane's interior as we know it. Travelers in Qantas's study asked for an in-flight café offering "wine, fresh juices, herbal teas and tisanes and mocktails," as well as spaces to meditate and "do gentle exercise [and] stretches." (May we suggest mid-flight shavasana?) And while it wasn't a frequent request, spin bikes at 30,000 feet were even floated.

While the no-brainer, in-seat request for wireless noise-canceling headphones made it to the top, Qantas says its passengers are looking for spaces that address all of their in-flight activity options—including "comfort, sleep, dining, entertainment, and state of mind"—beyond their assigned seat. That means spaces that offer "virtual reality relaxation zones [and] audio mindfulness experiences," on top of the guided meditations already included in Qantas's seatback in-flight entertainment systems.

You may not see all of these features in the new Qantas interiors—"bringing some of these concepts to life will involve an entire rethink around how to be clever about use of all cabin space," Qantas's Industrial Designer David Caon said in a statement—but they're willing to think outside the box, maybe even "incorporate design elements never before seen on commercial aircraft."

The airline is investing a lot in creating the perfect environment for an ultra-long haul flight, simply because of how far Australia is from everyone. “Because of where Australia is situated on the globe, we’ve always had to push the boundaries of long-haul flying to ensure our passengers arrive at their destination ready for the next stage of their journey,” Phil Capps, head of customer experience at Qantas, previously told Traveler. Standing up to grab a drink at the bar, zoning out with complimentary noise-canceling headphones, and pretending we're already at Bondi Beach with VR when we're still in the air can only help, right?


Justwise Seun mynd44

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/qantas-considers-cafe-meditation-zone-on-future-planes

See serious ppl who are thinking ahead on how to improve on d present.. Our own down here na to dey go back to d past in d present...

Yice