by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:21 PM ET, Wed April 22, 2020
The impact of the coronavirus outbreak will undoubtedly change the travel industry forever, and one Italian company is using the opportunity for reinvention to change the way passengers think of airplane seats.
Italian manufacturing firm Aviointeriors shared several renderings on Instagram of new seating concepts that would focus on physical separation among passengers in the same row by using plastic shells custom fit for each seat.
The first design revealed by Aviointeriors was dubbed Janus and consisted of three adjacent seats in a row, but the middle seat would be turned 180 degrees to face the rear of the plane. A plastic, curved shield would further separate each passenger.
The second design shared on Instagram was of the manufacturer's Glassafe system, which looks like a traditional row of three seats, but features large transparent partitions between each headrest to reduce the transmission of viruses.
The plastic shields would also be removable as part of the Glassafe system.
As airlines continue to adapt to the changing sanitization and safety recommendations from the top health organizations, officials from Aviointeriors confirmed at least one major carrier had shown some interest in the designs.
Airlines in the United States have already implemented measures to minimize flight attendant-to-customer interaction, maximize the distance between passengers by not selling the middle seats and shutting down airport lounge areas.
In addition, Delta Air Lines reduced contact between employees and travelers by giving every passenger on domestic flights a personal snack bag consisting of Cheez-It crackers, Biscoff cookies, 8.5 oz Dasani bottled water, hand sanitizing wipe and a cocktail napkin.
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