Next upgrade for the A380: Bunk Beds?

With so much space in the Airbus A380, there really is no limit on what you can design and build into the aircraft. Sure, you're going to want to cram as many people as possible into Economy seating, but in Business and First Class, you can let the extravagancies seep in. Emirates' version has showers. Singapore's has double beds. Lufthansa envisions an aircraft with conference rooms and bedrooms. You get the idea.

The next upgrade? Bunk beds. As the airline industry tries to carve out a Premium Economy market, one concept that Airbus is exploring is the possibility of using stacked beds to utilize space better while still offering a lie flat experience. The beds would be smaller than a premium lie-flat seat, but would cost a fraction of the price.

Airbus is still toying with the concept of integrating the beds, so it may be some time before you're able to bunk up with your best mate on the way out to Australia, but if the idea pans out, we'll be the first to test drive it.

Filed under: Business, Airlines, News