The PASSME concept for faster boarding and disembarking

For the past three three years, researchers and experts from across Europe have been working together as part of the EU-funded PASSME project to look into ways to ease bottlenecks in the passenger journey, as this webinar explains. The PASSME researchers have also developed a novel way to re-design aircraft interiors to speed up boarding and disembarking. This part of the project includes seats that can shrink at the touch of a button, doubling the width of the aisle from 16in to 32in, allowing passengers to move more easily through the cabin during boarding and disembarking. The extra space means two passengers can now walk off the airplane side by side. The wider aisle can also fit a wheelchair, improving the experience of passengers with reduced mobility.

“Several airlines have already expressed an interest in this invention,” said Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt, a researcher in the PASSME project. “This innovation saves up to 15 minutes. It might not seem like much, but even a few minutes can be crucial for airlines, who might face delays of up to 25 minutes if they miss their time slot for take off.”

This concept also ties in with an airport lounge concept and app concept.