At next week’s annual Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany, Delta Flight Products will present several accessibility-focused products, including two seats that allow customers to remain in their own wheelchair for the entire journey, and an accessible lavatory which accommodates entry of an onboard wheelchair and up to 2 attendants.  

Since its debut at the 2023 AIX, our original seat designed for a domestic First Class cabin has received a few upgrades. Over the past nine months, the team collaborated with and gathered feedback from the disability community and additional stakeholders to modify the original design. This enhanced version is just one of the seats that will be on display at AIX.   

DFP will also showcase a second seat, which has been designed for an Economy Class cabin. The seat offers the same comforts and safety as the First Class version and when installed in the first row of an aircraft, also remains passenger-neutral, so it does not take away seats onboard.  

Delta Flight Products and UK-based consortium AirforAll, which includes PriestmanGoode, Flying Disabled, SWS Certification and Sunrise Medical, have partnered to bring the concept of these seats to reality.  

“Since AIX last year it’s been an exciting few months of collaboration and refinement of the design – and constant engagement with the wheelchair user community. We’ve listened and this year we’re leading the way with a family of seat products and other solutions, all part of a holistic view of the journey and an experience that’s inclusive for all.” Daniel MacInnes, Director – PriestmanGoode. 

In addition to the seats, DFP will debut a first-of-its-kind accessible forward lavatory. The lavatory includes a unique door opening which is located near the boarding door and incorporates a fixed panel that can be unlatched to accommodate entry of an onboard wheelchair with maximum privacy from the aircraft cabins. This lavatory includes touchless features, and the design allows a passenger with a disability to easily access additional functions, such as the sink, directly from the toilet prior to transferring back to the wheelchair. Lighting in the lavatory supports persons of low vision or color sensitivity and DFP is exploring future options such as a “smart mirror” that could close caption PA announcements for the deaf/hard of hearing and includes tactile symbols to assist the blind /low vision community.  

“DFP’s involvement with these seats and accessible lavatory is fundamental to our goal of always working towards improving the passenger experience and making travel more accessible for all,” said Rick Salanitri, President – Delta Flight Products. “We look forward to seeing these products through their testing and certification phases, which will prepare them for aircraft identification & installation, resulting in a more seamless travel journey for the disability community.”  

These products are just some of the latest innovations from DFP. Through their full-service engineering, certification and manufacturing capabilities, they are constantly looking at ways to fill service gaps, solve operational challenges, and transform the experience of customers and crewmembers.  

Delta Flight Products (DFP) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, which is committed to and has long engaged in a variety of initiatives to increase air travel accessibility. At Delta, this includes working closely with their long-standing Advisory Board on Disability in creating experiences pertaining to aircraft, airport renovations, procedures and more.  

ABOUT DELTA FLIGHT PRODUCTS  

Delta Flight Products (DFP) was established to re-think aircraft interiors. DFP offers modern solutions to airline interiors through the engineering and production of cabin design, technological systems, cabin furnishings, food/beverage galleys, and storage equipment. DFP provides full-service engineering, certification, and manufacturing to create innovative aircraft interior solutions to airlines around the world. It has recently been awarded the 2024 APEX Innovation Award for Best Cabin, based on the original seat prototype for passengers with reduced mobility.  

ABOUT AIRFORALL  

AirforAll is a consortium formed of PriestmanGoode, Flying Disabled, SWS Certification and Sunrise Medical. Each member of the consortium has a personal and professional commitment to creating solutions around accessibility in air travel. Through a combination of industrial design, passenger experience design, aircraft cabin and airport accessibility, aircraft certification and regulation; and wheelchair design and manufacturing, the consortium has been developing the AirforAll concept since 2019. It has been recognised as a finalist in the 2022 Crystal Cabin Awards and won the Fast Company Innovation by Design award and Condé Nast Traveler Bright Ideas in Travel awards in 2022.