09 — KLM Flying V
A radically new
interior at 10,000 metres.
For KLM and TU Delft's Flying V, a fuel-efficient aircraft concept, I led a team towards a patent-pending cabin design: tickets for activities such as sleeping, working or travelling together, rather than cabin classes.
Role
Team Lead · 3D Modeling
Duration
12 weeks
Type
Group project · Freelance
Client
KLM · TU Delft
Patent Pending
Cabin design submitted
Crystal Cabin Awards 2020
Finalist
Dutch Design Week 2019
1:1 scale experience
KLM 100 Years Exhibition
Exhibition
The concept
Tickets for activities, rather than classes.
Instead of business class or economy, buy a ticket for what you want to do on long flights. Sleep fully stretched out, work in peace or travel together, each with its own space, furniture and privacy. Based on user research: 60% want to sleep and 28% travel in groups.
Concept sketch — private seats, flat beds, lounge seats and group seats
Cabin layout
370 passengers in a V shape.
The distinctive V-shaped fuselage opened up new possibilities. Sleeping cabins, group seating and standard seats spread across the wings, with galleys and lavatories at the central junction.
The process
From sketch to full-scale mockup.
Developed in 12 weeks, from initial sketches to a fully built, life-size cabin segment, exhibited at Dutch Design Week and KLM's centenary exhibition.
Research & concept development
User needs set the direction
Extensive passenger research laid the foundation. 60% want to sleep on long flights, 28% travel in groups, and almost everyone values privacy and legroom. Every seat type in the design can be traced directly to these insights.
Full-scale prototyping
Testing ergonomics at full scale
Seat configurations were built and tested at full scale. Can passengers sleep comfortably? Is there enough legroom? Those questions can only be answered by physically building it and sitting in it.
Building a full-scale cabin segment
Making the spatial experience tangible
The team built a complete cabin segment, from seats and partitions to the curved fuselage and laser-cut organic panels. This made the sense of space, circulation and transitions between zones something people could experience firsthand.
The completed cabin segment — Dutch Design Week 2019
Testing & pitching at KLM
From mockup to client presentation
The mockup served as both a test environment and a presentation space. Visitors tried the group table, private seats and sleeping position, experiencing the concept directly. It led to a patent-pending design and a finalist place at the Crystal Cabin Awards 2020.