You may remember the recent buzz about the design Airbus floated for putting sleeping berths in the cargo hold of an airplane as a way for economy class passengers to get some real rest during a long haul flight.
Qantas, which has challenged both Airbus and Boeing to build a plane it can use for ultra-long haul flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York, likes that idea and has it on a list of ‘blue sky’ features included in a survey the airline is sending out to about 12,000 of its frequent flyers.
The survey is part of the airline’s “Project Sunrise” research into ultra-long haul flying and on the Qantas list are such “Would you like?” features as:
- A stretch/exercise zone on board
- A communal bar, dining or self-service café zone
- A work & study section including work stations
- “Change and refresh” stations
- A creche
A creche? To me that describes Christmas nativity scenes, which seemed like an odd item to include on a long-haul flight. But when I looked up that word I discovered creche is also a British word for a nursery, or day care center.
And on a long-haul flight – and even many short ones – I think most any traveler would vote for that!
