Why This Weird Future Airliner Has No Windows
(Photo Credit: CPI/YouTube)
This vision of the airliner of the future could be revelatory or nightmarish—depending upon how you feel about being constantly reminded that you’re 35,000 feet in the air. A British technology firm called the Centre for Process Innovation just released these images of a passenger plane that instead of windows has enormous smart screens showing you a picture of the world outside.
CPI wants to mount flexible OLED screens along the walls of the airliner’s cabin and cameras on the exterior. The cameras’ real-time footage would be projected onto the screen—hopefully eliminating any panicky feelings that might arise in passengers who already have no leg room and now find themselves trapped in a windowless tube.
The illustration looks a bit ridiculous, as if the airplane wore green and then walked in front of a green screen. And it seems wrong on some spiritual level, sort of like those modern sports cars that pipe engine sounds into the cabin through speakers. However strange a windowless plane appears, though, the CPI might be onto something, because windows are wasteful.
Sure, plane windows allow you to take shots of your plane’s wing that you’ll load to Instagram as soon as you land. They also keep people sane and give window-seat lovers like me something to gawk at while our minds wander. But windows actually make a plane heavier, partly because of the window material itself, and partly because the rest of the plane must be reinforced. And more weight equals more fuel consumption, which is what CPI wants to stop.
We’re all for saving fuel. Although I must say, I fear that a giant screen inside a plane makes for a rather tempting target for mischievous hackers.
US travelers can soon book a flight on a quirky new plane that has no middle seats and larger-than-average windows
- Brazilian aerospace company Embraer has a new, shark-themed airplane.
- The company chose to not have any middle seats on the plane.
- The plane also features bigger overhead bins and windows and better fuel efficiency than its predecessor.
Traveling certainly comes with plenty of perks. Sure, you get to see the world, visit family and friends in far-flung places, and experience new things. But, there’s one thing that can put a damper on all that good. And that is the downright terrible experience of traveling in the middle seat.
OK, so flying in the middle seat is just about at the bottom of the world’s problems right now, but it still matters to some, and Embraer is catering to those people who simply abhor the middle with its new E190-E2 jets that come with zero middle seats. Ever.
The aircraft manufacturer has been taking its new 2-2 configured plane on a world tour in recent months. And it’s certainly a noticeable plane, as it comes decked out with some seriously out of this world great white shark livery.
Inside, fliers will find that the new configuration comes with up to 150 seats, according to the Daily Mail. For those looking for even more space, they can upgrade to the premium cabin, which offers a staggered seat arrangement. The plane also comes with more overhead bin space and larger windows for passengers to peer out of.
«Preserving passenger personal space is the goal,» Rodrigo Silva e Souza, vice-president of marketing for Embraer Commercial Aviation, told CNN Travel. Souza noted that the interiors of the new aircraft aim to bring that «wide-body cabin feel» to «give passengers the impression of having greater space, or of being on a larger aircraft.»
While the middle seat upgrade is certainly the prime detail, the plane does come with other noteworthy upgrades. According to Embraer, its new aircraft comes with improved fuel efficiency and burns 17 percent less fuel than its predecessor. This, the Daily Mail noted, makes it the most efficient single-aisle aircraft on the market.
Currently, passengers can book flights on the plane with Scandinavian Airlines’ regional subsidiary, Widerøe, but, as CNN noted, its largest customer is SkyWest, which is a regional airline affiliate flying with American Airlines, Delta, United and Alaska Airlines. And that means the 2-2 plane will delight frequent fliers throughout the United States soon.
Emirates looks to windowless planes
Emirates Airline has unveiled a new first class suite on board its latest aircraft that features virtual windows.
Instead of being able to see directly outside, passengers view images projected in from outside the aircraft using fibre-optic cameras.
The airline says it paves the way for removing all windows from future planes, making them lighter and faster.
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said the images were «so good, it’s better than with the natural eye».
The virtual windows can be found in the first class cabin of Emirates’ newest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Sir Tim told the BBC that the ultimate aim was to have planes with no windows at all.
«Imagine now a fuselage as you’re boarding with no windows, but when you get inside, there are windows,» he said.
«Now you have one fuselage which has no structural weaknesses because of windows. The aircraft are lighter, the aircraft could fly faster, they’ll burn far less fuel and fly higher.»
Safety concerns
Cabin crew need to be able to see outside the aircraft if there is an emergency, aviation safety expert Professor Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University said.
«Being able to see outside the aircraft in an emergency is important, especially if an emergency evacuation has to take place,» he said.
«Flight attendants would need to check outside the aircraft in an emergency, for example for fire, before opening a door and commencing an evacuation — and anything that needed power to do this may not be easy to get certified by an aviation safety regulator,» he added.
However, aviation regulator the European Aviation Safety Agency said: «We do not see any specific challenge that could not be overcome to ensure a level of safety equivalent to the one of an aircraft fitted with cabin windows.»
Prof Braithwaite said the main obstacle in a windowless aircraft would be passenger perceptions of the technology.
«An aircraft could be very claustrophobic and for many, air travel is anxiety inducing already.
«The refresh rate of screen technology may also have some undesirable side effects — will they flicker? What is the lag? How will it affect someone on a long haul flight?» he asked.
‘No substitute’
Aviation expert John Strickland said having no windows would make aircraft more structurally sound. The move could also improve fuel efficiency if the fuselage were lighter than the windows it replaced.
«Everything that reduces weight on an aircraft is going to reduce fuel burn,» he said.
However, he personally liked to be able to see out of a plane: «I’m a bit of a window obsessive. For me, artificial windows would be no substitute.»
Emirates looks to windowless planes
Emirates Airline has unveiled a new first class suite on board its latest aircraft that features virtual windows.
Instead of being able to see directly outside, passengers view images projected in from outside the aircraft using fibre-optic cameras.
The airline says it paves the way for removing all windows from future planes, making them lighter and faster.
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said the images were «so good, it’s better than with the natural eye».
The virtual windows can be found in the first class cabin of Emirates’ newest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Sir Tim told the BBC that the ultimate aim was to have planes with no windows at all.
«Imagine now a fuselage as you’re boarding with no windows, but when you get inside, there are windows,» he said.
«Now you have one fuselage which has no structural weaknesses because of windows. The aircraft are lighter, the aircraft could fly faster, they’ll burn far less fuel and fly higher.»
Safety concerns
Cabin crew need to be able to see outside the aircraft if there is an emergency, aviation safety expert Professor Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University said.
«Being able to see outside the aircraft in an emergency is important, especially if an emergency evacuation has to take place,» he said.
«Flight attendants would need to check outside the aircraft in an emergency, for example for fire, before opening a door and commencing an evacuation — and anything that needed power to do this may not be easy to get certified by an aviation safety regulator,» he added.
However, aviation regulator the European Aviation Safety Agency said: «We do not see any specific challenge that could not be overcome to ensure a level of safety equivalent to the one of an aircraft fitted with cabin windows.»
Prof Braithwaite said the main obstacle in a windowless aircraft would be passenger perceptions of the technology.
«An aircraft could be very claustrophobic and for many, air travel is anxiety inducing already.
«The refresh rate of screen technology may also have some undesirable side effects — will they flicker? What is the lag? How will it affect someone on a long haul flight?» he asked.
‘No substitute’
Aviation expert John Strickland said having no windows would make aircraft more structurally sound. The move could also improve fuel efficiency if the fuselage were lighter than the windows it replaced.
«Everything that reduces weight on an aircraft is going to reduce fuel burn,» he said.
However, he personally liked to be able to see out of a plane: «I’m a bit of a window obsessive. For me, artificial windows would be no substitute.»
