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Sleepbox lets passengers take a quick

nap at the airport
Inspired by Japans capsule hotels, several
airports around the world have opened small-
sized resting rooms that can be rented for
several hours by passengers with long transit
times or delayed flights.
A new twist on this transit room concept is
the Sleepbox. Shaped like a giant, rounded
box measuring two metres long, 1.4 metres
wide and 2.3 metres high, the soundproof
pod can be positioned near boarding gates,
cutting down on hotel transit times even more
than ever.
A prototype of the Sleepbox is currently
on display, to give passengers an insight
into the service, at Moscows Sheremetyevo
International Airport. There are plans to
commercially operate several additional
Sleepboxes at the same airport in the very
near future.
The expected fee will be US$10-15 per hour,
and a concierge will take payments, give
keys, etc. In a later stage the Sleepboxes will
be fully self-serviced. A hostel furnished with
30 Sleepboxes will also open in the city of
Moscow in 2012.
Korean Air offers women-only
amenities
Airlines traditionally have been catering to
the stereotype male business traveller in his
forties. However, as a result of the growing
number of female passengers, especially in
premium classes, this is slowly changing.
For example, among the features of Korean
Airs recently expanded Prestige Lounge at
Incheon International airport is a dedicated
area for female travellers.
Says Korean Airs spokeswoman Mi Hyun
Kim: These days more and more female
travellers are travelling around the world. In
order to respond to their increasing needs, we
have designed a special area fully dedicated
to female travellers, which includes a female
restroom, sleeping room and powder room.
Also, female travellers can taste quality food
and snacks and change diapers of their babies
nappies (diapers) without any distraction. In
the powder room, there is a dressing table
with a large mirror and a chair to help female
travellers to do their make-up. In the sleeping
room, there are two comfortable couch-type
chairs which can be reclined.
Korean Air is also among the few airlines to
dedicate a bathroom on its long haul aircraft
for use by female passengers only. Korean Airs
ladies-only lavatory is decorated with pink
coloured wallpaper, has a diaper board for
babies and provides extra cosmetics.
How airlines are using the Apple iPad
up in the air
The iPad, which began primarily as an
entertainment device when it was launched in
2010, is being used by airlines up in the air in
ways that Apple may never have imagined.
Passengers
Low-cost airlines Iceland Express and airBaltic
Coming to an airline near you...
Founder of market research agency www.airlinetrends.com, Raymond Kollau, reveals the
latest trends in the air in the first of his new regular features
!OCUSONAIRLINETRENDS
In this issue Raymond looks at how airlines are adopting wireless technology, coming up with innovative
ancillary products and surprising passengers with their inflight catering. Could these trends catch on?
The Sleepbox prototype at Moscow Airport
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are currently the only airlines that rent out
iPads to passengers in-flight. Since November
2010, Iceland Express offers passengers the
option to rent an iPad for around 10 on
transatlantic flights between Reykjavik and
North America. AirBaltic, meanwhile, in June
2011 introduced the iPad 2 for rent on flights
longer than 2.5 hours. The fee for Economy
passengers is 9.00 per flight, while Business
passengers can use the device free of charge.
After experiencing multiple delays,
Australian LCC Jetstar is about to offer the
iPad 2 for rent for around AU$10. Jetstar
reportedly will fit the iPads with a purpose-
built case that lets passengers hang the
device at eye level on aircraft with new
slimline seats. Qantas is currently trialling the
iPad on a Boeing 767-300 and also uses wi-fi
to stream content to the tablets from a central
server on the aircraft.
Cabin crew
British Airways has equipped its cabin crew
with iPads to enable them to have prior
awareness of customer preferences so they
can offer a more personalised service. The iPad
lets BA crew identify where each customer
is seated, who they are travelling with,
their frequent flyer status, any special meal
requests, as well as customer service updates.
On a similar note, KLM has provided a group
of 50 senior pursers with iPads as part of a
six-month trial project. The airline says it
feels it is essential that cabin crew have easy
access to the latest information in the air,
as personal contact with passengers on the
ground is becoming rarer due to the increased
deployment of self-service kiosks.
Pilots
Replacing the large amount of paper
documents that pilots carry with them, iPads
can improve fuel economy by cutting back on
the weight on board while also allowing for
documents to be updated more frequently.
In the USA, where the Federal Aviation
Administation in March 2011 approved the
use of iPads as an electronic flight bag, Alaska
Airlines and United are currently providing all
their pilots with company-issued iPads.
Several more airlines, including American
Airlines, Delta, KLM, Qantas and South African
LCC 1Time, are currently testing the use of
iPads by their pilots.
Crowdsourcing new onboard dishes
Several airlines have been asking the general
public to come up with designs for aircraft
liveries, crew uniforms and frequent flyer
cards. Cathay Pacific recently applied the
crowdsourcing concept to its catering.
Earlier this year, Cathay Pacific USA asked
its Facebook fans to come up with an Asian-
inspired dessert, snap a photo of their
creation, and submit it online for voting. The
winner would have his or her dessert served
on the airlines flights out of North America
from August until October 2011. The winner
of Cathays Art of Dessert contest was an
Asian-inspired cheesecake from Ada Ngai
of Richmond, British Columbia. Says Cathay
Pacific, Adas recipe, while being delicious,
also demonstrates the essence of Cathay
Pacific with her mixture of Asian influence
and elegant presentation.
ipads on the flight deck; Korean Air responds to demand from female
travellers for dedicated areas; winning cheesecake in Cathay Pacifics Art of
Dessert Facebook competition
!OCUSONAIRLINETRENDS
Raymond Kollau
is the founder of
market research
agency www.
airlinetrends.com. Having been part of the leading
consumer trend firm trendwatching.com since its
inception, Raymond founded airlinetrends.com to
focus on trends and innovations in the global airline
industry. He has been quoted as an industry expert in
a range of media as diverse as CNN, MSNBC, and The
New York Times and is also known for his high-level
and colourful presentations.
www.airlinetrends.com