If you thought a long-haul flight above the Atlantic in a steel tube was safe respite from businesses scouring your every move and gathering your data, it’s time to think again.

Aerospace giant Airbus has announced this week that it has begun in-flight tests of its ‘connected cabin’ aboard its A350-900 wide-body aircraft. The plane is bristling with sensors that can track passenger behaviour and movements, including how often and for how long the toilet is being used.

Airbus says the service will have an ‘IoT (Internet of Things) connected backbone’, with the myriad sensors relaying information via the on-board wi-fi to flight attendants wielding tablets or smartphones.

On the one hand this could lead to a more streamlined flight for passengers and staff alike. The sensors will be able to tell when seatbelts are fastened --displaying green for yes and red for no-- potentially stopping the pre-flight lap inspections.

It can tell when the lavatories are running out of soap or toilet paper. Windows can be adjusted from the smart device. It can tell how often seats are being reclined, in order to target well-worn mechanisms for repair. And the new system will allow for remote ordering of in-flight meals, meaning the crew can load the galley carts tuned to people’s preferences -- so no more chicken when all you really wanted was the beef.