Blue Skies and Stars Part of the Future Airplane Cabin Advanced lighting and projection all part of enhancing the flying experience December 18, 2015 in Commercial, Technology

Airline customers want to set their cabins apart from the competition and give passengers a positive experience that they’ll remember and want to have again and again. So, airlines are looking to Boeing to provide a cabin that offers that “wow” factor.

Engineers in Commercial Airplanes Product Development are working on concepts that will deliver that “wow” and set Boeing’s products apart from the competition. Engineers are looking at enhancing the passenger cabin experience with strategic use of accent lighting throughout the cabin. In addition, they’re developing projections of light and imagery on the ceiling and the walls and bulkheads.

“These ceiling projections could be scenes found in nature or helpful information for passengers projected on the walls and bulkheads,” said Mike Sinnett, Commercial Airplanes vice president of Product Development. “Airlines could use these lighting enhancements on the walls and bulkheads to display information about the destination or to project scenes that get passengers thinking about where they’re going,” he said. “The possibilities are endless about how this technology could be used.”

Future airplanes could have starry nights projected on the ceiling to help passengers sleep at night or passengers would see sunny and blue skies during the day to extend the look of daylight inside. All the technology could be tailored to an airline and be an extension of their brand inside the cabin.

“Airlines are looking to us to provide these kinds of innovations. That’s why we’re constantly looking at tomorrow’s technology today,” said Sinnett.

By Bret Jensen