The lower deck of a long-haul aircraft is pure cargo — 180 people above it, none inside it. Airbus asked us to change that. The question: how do you turn a windowless hull into somewhere people actually want to be?
Airbus's design challenge: How might we create a welcoming cabin that allows passengers to socialise while maintaining comfort and safety? The constraints were real — the space had to function safely during takeoff and landing, meet aviation structural requirements, and still introduce a genuinely new travel experience.
This wasn't a cosmetic redesign. It was a structural reimagination of what flight can be.
Rather than forcing conventional seating into an unconventional space, we embraced the lower deck's form. No windows becomes intimacy. Low headroom becomes cosy. The constraints became features.
We designed a full seating plan with spatial zoning: social areas for interaction, quiet pods for rest, lounge configurations for long stretches. All securable during critical flight phases. All human-centred.
The core insight: long-haul flights are one of the last places where strangers genuinely share physical space. We leaned into that — designing for connection, not just occupation.
A new cabin demands a new booking experience. We redesigned the airline's booking dashboard — making seat selection, zone management, and passenger flow intuitive for both staff and travellers. The lower deck experience starts before you even reach the airport.
Designed a VIP add-on: personalised lower deck seat selection, exclusive lounge access, real-time flight integration. Premium without being cold. Designed to feel like the cabin it represents.
"The most underused space on a long-haul flight should become the most social."
Design brief — Airbus collaborationA full holistic travel concept — physical cabin, digital booking system, and mobile experience working as one. The project demonstrates how infrastructure constraints, reframed with genuine human-centred design, become genuine differentiation.