New Qantas onboard wellbeing zone design revealed

The team designing brand-new Qantas cabins for super long-haul flights to London and New York have revealed the new ‘wellness zone’.

The opportunity to completely re-imagine the long-haul in-flight experience for passengers saw designers of a new Qantas cabin spitball some pretty wild ideas at the start of the process.

Take for example the brainstormed notion of a spin cycle class held at 40,000 feet, or the concept of the world’s most unique and highest altitude yoga class.

When the iconic Australian airline begins direct flights from Sydney to New York and London next year, those spending 20 continuous hours in economy will experience a new era of aviation and an end to the dreaded stopover.

Aside from experiencing two sunrises thanks to non-stop travel, the specially designed Airbus A350s that comprise the Project Sunrise fleet features a first-in-market dedicated Wellness Zone.

Project Sunrise flights will take passengers from Sydney to London and New York non-stop. Picture: Getty

Rather than an after-thought, the space is the culmination of tens of thousands of hours of design work that began more than six years ago.

Its function is backed by groundbreaking research on how to maximise rest and sleep quality while in the air, while reducing the impacts of jet lag.

Industrial designer David Caon, founder of the Sydney based firm Caon Design Office, said a key component of managing the impacts of super long-haul flight will be the communal space sitting between economy and premium economy.

“We conceptualised some bold initially ideas around potential activities and purposes for that space,” Mr Caon said, recalling how his team threw everything at the wall to see what would stick.

“We were thinking about hosting mini yoga classes at one point. There were other fitness ideas that were a bit more radical, like exercise bikes.

“There was even at one stage the notion of a crèche, where parents might want to go with their kids. There was [a thought about] a cafe-type situation where you could go and refresh and mingle.

“Obviously, as part of the feasibility studies, we worked through all of those ideas and discounted the things that weren’t going to be viable.”

The initial brainstorm included wild ideas like an in-flight spin cycle class.

An in-flight yoga class was also considered.

With the guidance of researchers from the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney and focus groups comprising a “broad cross-section of flyers”, the requirements were nailed down.

“There needed to be space, there needed to be a facility that promotes some active beneficial movement, there needed to be a provision or a promotion of socialisation, something as simple as people getting together in an area, and then to a lesser extent there needed to be some form of stimulation,” Mr Caon said.

Research and focus groups guided the final design of the wellbeing zone.

Qantas's proposed passenger wellbeing zone on new A350-1000s has already won a major international award. Picture: Supplied.

The wellbeing zone comprises sculpted walls with integrated handles to facilitate stretching and movement, screens playing instructional videos and information about health, and a self-serve cabinet of premium but healthy food and drink.

“You’re there to sort of stretch your legs a little bit. There’s some information on the screen that you can undertake some, some pre-described sort of classes or movements, and refreshments,” Mr Caon said.

The Charles Perkins research guided a vast range of in-flight experiences that can boost wellbeing and comfort, from the timing of meal services to the design of seats.

Industrial designer David Caon designed the A350 cabins. Picture: David Swift.

“The cabin and service can affect a passenger’s ability to phase shift [to a new time zone] and possibly even positively influence their state of mind,” he said.

“And this is the goal essentially, helping passengers adjust to the destination means that they can begin enjoying their journey sooner.”

And interior lighting was a major part of it too.

Mr Caon’s team developed a set of lighting scenarios – including a striking sunrise and sunset to suit the time at the aircraft’s destination, which “happen over the course of 10 minutes and feels uncannily real”.

“It’s not just fading up and fading down colours, but we’re able to animate,” Mr Caon said.

The promise of super long-haul flying comes with a responsibility to wellbeing, and ironically, being on board for longer makes that possible.

“We have an opportunity to help passengers align themselves with the time zone of where they’re going because there’s much more control when the stopover’s not there,” he said.

A look at economy class on the Project Sunrise flights.

In terms of the seats themselves, those in economy have 33 inches of leg room and a seat pitch of 33 inches, as well as a six-way adjustable headrest and a foot net.

There are 13 inch OLED entertainment screens with Bluetooth sound connectivity. The A350 fleet is also fitted with fast and free Wi-Fi internet.

Premium economy seats have all those features, as well as a 40 inch seat pitch, a calf rest, and an eight inch winged adjustable privacy headrest.

Business suites will feature sliding doors for extra privacy, as well as a lie-flat bed, a dining table, and an 18 inch 4K high-definition screen.

All premium seats will come with integrated wireless charging.

Those travelling right at the pointy end will be greeted by a fully enclosed first class suite, akin to a mini boutique hotel room, with a two metre flat bed, two-person dining table, stand-alone recliner chair, and 32 inch 4K screen.