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21 Jun, 2012

Most Wanted Features of Dream Aircraft: No Kids, No Kicks

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EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 19, 2012–(BUSINESS WIRE) — The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner is set to take to the UK skies this August, and promises passengers a more pleasurable flying experience with larger windows and LED lighting, but a new survey of over 1000 passengers by Europe’s leading flight comparison site Skyscanner reveals what people really want to find on their dream aircraft.

Although the single most requested feature were capsule-style bunks (taking 20% of the vote), 26% wanted facilities to reduce noise and annoyance caused by flying families; 18% said sound-proof sections for children to sit in was their most desired feature, while 8% would like to see anti-kick seats installed.

Assisting passengers in their quest for relaxation, ‘massaging chairs’ took the fourth spot followed by ‘Free use of iPads’ in fifth place, with 5% of the vote. A flight with a view was also a popular choice, in sixth place with almost one in 20 voting for transparent floors and ceilings that would offer greater visibility of the terrain below and the sky above.

Ultimate Aircraft, Credited by www.skyscanner.net

A singles section, where unattached passengers could potentially meet, flirt and chat at 30,000 feet came surprisingly high on the list with 4% of the vote.

Inflight movies and a drinks service are familiar features to the frequent flier, however the poll showed that what passengers really want is an inflight cinema (3%) and a cocktail bar (2%) bringing a little bit of glamour and luxury back to the flying experience.

Skyscanner’s Mary Porter commented, “As a mother myself I am well aware of the stress that travelling with children can lead to – both for the parents themselves and those seated around them so I am not surprised that sound-proof sections and anti-kick seats scored so highly, and confirms the findings of our previous survey that shows children on planes are a contentious issue.”

She continued, “Sadly as appealing as many of these features sound, we are not aware of any airline’s plans to include them at the moment – although for those fliers lucky enough to fly upper class some dream features such as beds, showers and cocktail bars are indeed be part of their luxury flying experience. For the rest of us it will continue to be just a dream.”

Top Ten Wish List for The Perfect Plane

1. Capsule-style bunks – 20%

2. Sound proof sections for children – 18%

3. Anti-kick seats – 8%

4. Massaging Chairs – 8%

5. Free use of iPads – 5%

6. Transparent floors and ceilings – 5%

7. Singles Section – 4%

8. Showers – 4%

9. Cinema – 3%

10. Cocktail bar – 2%

Other – 23%

A graphic illustrating the story can be found here.

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