Airbus emphasized during the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2014 held in Hamburg that the A350 has near-vertical sidewalls, adding “eXtra” spaciousness to the cabin and the large overhead stowage bins to match growing cabin baggage volume requirements.
Chris Emerson -senior vice president of marketing at Airbus- cited a subtle change to the cabin walls in the A350's design, saying they're more vertical than on other comparable aircraft models.
"You will feel there's no encroachment of the side wall. It doesn't curve into you," he said.
Among the other A350 cabin features cited by Emerson: ever-larger overhead storage bins.
The A350's bins are designed to hold five roll-aboard bags side-by-side in a standard bin.
Passengers "want to carry more on to the aircraft," Emerson said. "The worst is (when) you're the last on to the plane and there's no room for your carry-on luggage."
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) sets guidelines for carry-on luggage size. They are not mandatory, however, and individual airlines can and do vary their requirements. The IATA guideline states: “Cabin baggage should have a maximum length of 56 cm (22 inches), width of 45 cm (18 inches) and depth of 25 cm (10 inches) including all handles, side pockets, wheels etc.”
In the A350 XWB Customer Definition Centre inaugurated in Hamburg, there are 2 real configuration rooms designed to physically mock up different cabin zones by using original seats, simplified doors and sidewall panels with original contrasts or monuments. These rooms allow airline customers to test different layouts and feel how their choices will change their passengers’ sense of volume, space and leg room.
The CDC –which has 5.000 m2 of presentation and lounge areas- enables the customers to see, feel and test real catalogue solutions in individually tailored zones.
Based on the press release “Airbus inaugurates A350 XWB Customer Definition Centre in Hamburg”
