Airbus A380 Luxury Environment
Worldwide Concept

With transcontinental travel growing increasingly commonplace and competitive, the future of flight will depend on design as a tool for enhancing the travel experience. An international airline commissioned Gabellini Sheppard in 2001 to design the ultimate travel environment within its Airbus A380 aircraft fleet, concentrating on the upper level as the epitome of modern luxury. The concept includes invisible as well as visible enhancements to this vaulted, airborne envelope, leading to the equation of mobility with sensory pleasure.

Amenities including lounges, a bar, conference alcoves, a dining area, and a spa are spaced along the central axis of the cabin, reserving the perimeter areas for individual seating. Comfort and ease of movement characterize the private as well as the communal flight experience, exemplified by custom-designed chairs arrayed in a herringbone pattern. Enhanced air, light, and sound quality allows passengers to define personal sensory cocoons, offering effortless tranquility or stimulation as a response to the suspension of time and place.