{"id":18948,"date":"2020-08-05T20:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T03:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=18948"},"modified":"2020-10-31T02:50:17","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T09:50:17","slug":"airplane-cabin-of-the-future-eu-travel-ban-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/airplane-cabin-of-the-future-eu-travel-ban-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Airplane Cabin of the Future, EU Travel Ban and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

What the Airplane Cabin of the Future Might Look Like<\/h2>\n

Courtesy Amy Woodyatt, CNN<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIESTMANGOODE.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air travel is still far from pre-pandemic levels, but it began bouncing back in May.<\/a> Still, travelers are rightly nervous about climbing aboard a packed plane, but thankfully, designers are already thinking ahead at what the cabins of the future might look like.<\/p>\n

In a newly released concept, UK-based design studio PriestmanGoode<\/u> has developed a post-pandemic cabin to focus on hygiene and personal space and keep passengers safe and relaxed.<\/p>\n

Firstly, the firm has reimagined business and economy class. Passengers in “pure skies zones” \u2014 previously known as economy \u2014\u00a0will sit in a staggered seat configuration so that they can travel alone, as a couple, or in groups. Dividing screens are also placed at the end of every other row to further separate travelers, while in-flight entertainment systems have been removed in favor of the passenger’s own devices.<\/p>\n

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Passengers will sit in a staggered seat configuration so they can travel in the group of their choosing.<\/span> PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIESTMANGOODE.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But some things never change: Flying business is always more fun than economy.<\/p>\n

Those seated in “pure skies rooms” will fly in a fully enclosed personal space, partitioned by curtains and complete with light and temperature control systems, as well as a personal wardrobe and overhead storage and an in-flight entertainment system synchronized to the passenger’s devices.<\/p>\n

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In-flight entertainment systems have been removed in favor of the passenger’s own devices in “pure skies zones,” previously known as economy.<\/span> PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIESTMANGOODE.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As well as comfort, the cabin also boasts hygiene credentials, with minimal split line seat design and antimicrobial materials.<\/p>\n

The studio has also incorporated heat, ultraviolet UVC cleaning and fogging as part of the cabin’s pre-boarding process, and notes that touch-free features run through the cabin.<\/p>\n

“We’ve looked ahead to imagine future scenarios and taken into account new passenger behaviors driven by the global pandemic to ensure our designs can be implemented within a few years and will meet user and airline requirements for many years ahead,” Nigel Goode, co-founding director at PriestmanGoode, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Although the cabins won’t be a part of your travel experience in the immediate future \u2014 according to PriestmanGoode, it can take three years to develop and certify them \u2014 the firm thinks they will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n

“With both passengers and airline employees at the heart of this project, we have not only taken on board present anxieties but also tried to ensure our solutions are future-proofed against future pandemics, recognizing the significant commitment and investment involved,” he added.<\/p>\n

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The firm envisages design features made from antimicrobial materials.<\/span> PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIESTMANGOODE.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The company hopes that, through a combination of innovative design features, touch-free technology and material innovation, airlines will be able to both improve personal space and hygiene and reassure passengers — which, they say, will be vital for the airline industry, even after the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Just this week, the International Air Transport Association announced that global air travel won’t recover<\/a> from the Covid-19 crisis until 2024 \u2014 a year later than previously predicted.<\/p>\n

In a revised baseline, the body, which represents 290 airlines, forecast that international passenger traffic will drop 55% in 2020, compared to 2019, blaming the sluggish recovery on a number of factors, including a lack of consumer confidence, the decline in business travel, and fresh coronavirus case spikes<\/p>\n

The coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot of things \u2014 the way we socialize, work, and the way we travel.<\/p>\n

Air travel is still far from pre-pandemic levels, but it began bouncing back in May.<\/a> Still, travelers are rightly nervous about climbing aboard a packed plane, but thankfully, designers are already thinking ahead at what the cabins of the future might look like.<\/p>\n

In a newly released concept, UK-based design studio PriestmanGoode has developed a post-pandemic cabin to focus on hygiene and personal space and keep passengers safe and relaxed.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

EU Extends Ban on American Travelers \u2014 Again \u2014 With US COVID-19 Cases Far Outpacing European Countries<\/h2>\n

Curtis Tate<\/em><\/a>, Deirdre Shesgreen<\/a><\/em>
\nUSA TODAY<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"EU
PHOTO BY VIRGINIA MAYO \/ AP PHOTO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the second time this month, the European Union extended its travel ban on Americans on August 6 as COVID-19 infections continued to rise across the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The EU first started lifting its travel restrictions outside the bloc on July 1<\/a>, welcoming visitors\u00a0from 14\u00a0countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The U.S. was left off that initial list, and the EU extended its ban on\u00a0Americans<\/a> visiting the bloc on July 16.<\/p>\n

The announcement, by the European Council, came after EU officials conducted their biweekly review of\u00a0travel\u00a0restrictions, examining coronavirus trends<\/a> and containment measures in each country to determine whether to add or narrow the list of permitted travelers.<\/p>\n

The key measurement: The pandemic outbreak in a given country needs to be equally contained \u2014 or better \u2014 than in the EU.<\/p>\n

The United States had more than 4.4 million COVID-19 cases<\/a> as of Thursday, and more than 151,000 deaths<\/a>, more than any other nation, according to Johns Hopkins University<\/a>.<\/p>\n

European countries have made significantly more progress in containing the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. According\u00a0to\u00a0EU data<\/a>, the bloc \u2014 which includes the European Economic Area (EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the United Kingdom \u2014 reported more than 1.7 million cases<\/a>\u00a0as of Thursday.<\/p>\n

Three U.S. states \u2014 California, Florida and New York \u2014 have more than 400,000 cases, while a fourth, Texas, has nearly as many. No other EU country has more than 300,000 cases, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are the dozen countries where citizens are approved to visit the EU. The list has not changed from two weeks ago, when Montenegro and Serbia were removed:<\/p>\n