Can Sensory Deprivation Upgrade Coach Flying?

Whose side is Airbus on? The aircraft manufacturer has come down on both sides of the passenger-comfort debate, dissing the industry-standard coach seats as

"crusher seats,"

and then filing a patent application for what may be the most congested

coach-class seating configuration

ever conceived.

Are they trying to rescue coach customers, or kill them with claustrophobia? The company's latest patent application,

US 8814266 B2

, leaves us with more questions than answers.

Innocuously, the application references a "Headrest for a passenger seat for an aircraft." If that conjures images of a traditional headrest, dismiss them. Instead, imagine a space helmet that almost completely covers the flyer's head, with a clear visor in front of the eyes for visibility. Think Rocket Man.

Here's Airbus's statement of the problem their space helmet is designed to solve:



During aircraft flights, certain passengers have periods when they are bored either during a wait phase preceding take-off or following landing or during a cruise phase. Moreover, it is known that aircraft flights generate stress for certain passengers.



Translation: Flying in coach is an awful experience.

The solution, as envisioned in the patent application, is to envelop passengers' heads in virtual-reality helmets, that distract attention from the too-tight seating with piped-in sounds, images, even smells. Or by blotting out consciousness altogether with a cocktail of white noise and deep-space darkness.

Geekiness aside, the designer is on to something. The only effective antidote to the discomfort of flying in coach indeed may be inducing an out-of-body experience for the duration of the flight.

What's next: suspended animation?



Reader Reality Check



How can the coach-class flying experience be improved?



This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.