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Pocket pack cushion-blankets offer solution for airline cabin clutter

Pocket pack cushion-blankets offer solution for airline cabin clutter
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Becca Alkema Operations Manager and Contributing Writer | Runway Girl Network

HUDDERSFIELD — One of the notable challenges in premium airline classes today is the accumulation of soft products on seats, often referred to as "Mount Blankets." This includes items such as pillows, cushions, blankets, duvets, mattress pads, pyjamas, slippers, and amenity kits. The lack of ample storage spaces for these items can create inconvenience for passengers.

John Horsfall, a company specializing in soft products based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has proposed an innovative solution. They have designed a blanket with an internal pocket into which the blanket can be folded. This design aims to keep the blanket neat and tidy while allowing it to be used as a cushion and eliminating the need for wasteful plastic wrappers.

Kirsty Sumner, Product Manager at John Horsfall, explained to Runway Girl Network: “The pocket pack is something that we have showcased a number of times in a number of different ways. It can be used for less plastic packaging but also to reduce numbers of items on the seat: it can be converted from a pillow to a mattress or a pillow to a blanket or a pillow to a duvet so it helps with storage. It’s a design feature: something creative that can be used in multiple ways to promote brand or route.”

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Sumner further emphasized that this concept allows airlines to personalize their brand and seat features by offering multifunctional products. She noted: “There’s different ways to personalize it with a blanket and a pillow but if the actual item itself can be transformed into something else it just adds another element to the whole experience.”

The pocket pack idea also extends its utility across various cabin classes including economy and premium economy where storage space is minimal. By folding specific soft product items together, they serve multiple purposes during flights.

Sumner highlighted that presenting items like mattress pads as lumbar support pillows could enhance comfort while reducing weight and cost associated with carrying multiple products. She stated: “With some of the bigger seats there’s quite a lot of room. People like to sit in different ways; they want lumbar support; they want something behind their neck... But if you had it tucked away in a little pocket...it’s yet another way to personalize your space.”

However, implementing this concept poses challenges related to laundry and resupply processes since these products would need manual folding before being returned to aircraft instead of being machine-wrapped in plastic bags. Despite this complexity adding cost implications seems manageable given potential benefits including enhanced comfort and reduced waste.

Related Articles:

- IATA partners with Aviation Sustainability Forum to tackle cabin waste

- American’s soft product push feels premium if at times complicated

- Texture and depth in seat design: next boundaries for CMF

- Paper for plastic? John Horsfall offers new waste wood cabin options

Featured image credited to John Walton

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