Design Considerations for Airplane Passenger Comfort

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how to provide airplane passengers with a comfortable flight experience by designing airplane cabin elements that meet their individual needs. The number of passengers travelling by airplane is increasing, and it can be assumed that all of these passengers are seeking a comfortable experience when travelling by airplane. Nevertheless, there are many factors that influence the preferred environment for comfort. These factors could be divided into intrinsic (personal) and extrinsic (environmental) components. Environmental components consist of the themes smell, light, vibrations, noise, climate, and physical ergonomics. Personal factors, on the other hand, consist of, among others, activity, behavior, and cognitive functioning. It seems that a comfortable airplane cabin depends on the design of the physical environment, but also on individual preference, on the performed activity, and on the expectations of the passenger. However, more knowledge is needed to quantify these factors, therefore, this thesis studies (1) the relation between comfort and the context (journey, nationality, and environment) of the passengers, and (2) the effect of passenger control, expectations and behavior on comfort perception.