Unique and customizable cabin lighting inspired by the colors of the Australian landscape and grounded in science will be featured on Qantas’ upcoming Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul flights to help minimise jetlag and improve customer wellbeing.
The design is a result of more than 150 hours of testing in the Airbus Customer Definition Centre in Hamburg where representatives from Qantas, Airbus, the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and Caon Design Office created and tested hundreds of lighting patterns and sequences in an Airbus A350 cabin mockup.
Qantas and the Charles Perkins Centre last year released preliminary findings on how to potentially reduce the impacts of jetlag by reshaping the inflight travel experience, based on world-first research conducted during test flights for Qantas’ Project Sunrise program.
Based on state-of-the-art modelling of circadian rhythms, the Charles Perkins Centre advised the optimal spectral irradiances for light to promote circadian adaption, sleep, and wake. These were implemented and tested throughout the lighting workshops in Hamburg and adjusted for eye comfort and appearance.
The lighting sequence will be tailored to help passengers adjust to their destination time zone before they set foot on the ground.
The trial has produced a series of 12 unique lighting scenes specifically for the Project Sunrise flights, including:
- “Awake”: Broad-spectrum, blue-enriched lighting to help customers adjust to the destination time zone and help them stay awake; a softer version is available for crew to choose based on cabin mood and ambience.
- “Sunset”: An immersive transition from a daytime mode into dark that moves through the colours of a sunset into a night sky with moonlight and slow cloud effect to relax customers and prepare them for sleep.
- “Sunrise”: Dynamic lighting effective for a transition from night to day that replicates an Australian sunrise rolling from the front of the cabin to the rear.
The main cabin will also have Welcome and Farewell lighting scenes for boarding and disembarking, as well as tailored scenes for taxi, take-off and landing, and sleep.
The Wellbeing Zone will feature soft blue-enriched light creating a daytime sky effect with slow-moving clouds during ‘the day’ to keep customers awake, and a moonlight inspired scene with reflections of water rippling to relax customers who spend time in the Wellbeing Zone while the rest of the cabin is in a dark period.
In a first for the airline, the six enclosed First Suites will offer a fully customisable lighting sequence for their environment that means customers can choose the time zone they want to be on for the duration of the flight.
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Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said that the scientifically informed lighting design was another critical component of the preparation for Project Sunrise flights, which will connect Australia’s east coast non-stop with London and New York.
“These world-first flights have been an opportunity for us to work with experts and build on our experience of long-haul flying to rethink the inflight experience with a focus on customer wellbeing and combating the effects of jetlag,” said Wallace.
“One of the things that was clear from the research is the importance of light cycles and brightness in setting the body clock and that was the basis of this testing.
“Combined with the design of the cabins, specialised meal planning, and the movement program, this unique lighting sequence will help improve our customers’ comfort in the air and minimise their jetlag when they arrive at their destination.”
Australian Industrial Designer David Caon said the lighting workshops followed more than five years of cabin design with Qantas to maximise customer wellbeing inflight.
“Aircraft lighting doesn’t cross the mind of most travellers but the external light cycle of night and day has more impact on our circadian rhythm and the impact of jetlag than any other factor,” said Caon.
“The Charles Perkins Centre provided us the ideal spectral irradiance for wake and sleep and these workshops were about crafting a beautiful ambiance which was guided by that science and exceptional design principles.
“Using the unique light of the Australian landscape and contemporary interior design as inspiration, we’ve been able to curate an immersive suite of more 12 different lighting scenarios and transitions to help travellers best adjust to their destination time zone and improve their inflight wellbeing.
“Every part of the Project Sunrise A350 cabins was specially designed for Qantas and creating this tailored lighting sequence is one of the final pieces of the puzzle.”
Joost van der Heijden, SVP & Global Head Of Marketing, Airbus Commercial Aircraft said “The A350 Airspace cabin has been designed to provide passengers with the best possible flight experience. This includes more personal space, the quietest cabin in the sky, highest air quality and full connectivity throughout. And the unique and innovative state-of-the-art LED lighting system offers over 16 million colour combinations, enabling airlines to fully customise their offerings.”
“Qantas has taken full advantage of this unique lighting system to create science-based specific effects that will help passengers adapt to the changing times zones. This will contribute to their well-being on the world’s longest commercial flights. Together with Qantas and its partners, we are working on the definition of a cabin that will show the A350 at its best. This project is the ultimate endorsement of the A350 as the world’s Long Range Leader.”
Dr. Sveta Postnova from the Charles Perkins Centre said, “It’s great to see circadian science being translated into practice.”
“The new lighting scenarios for A350 were developed to optimise the circadian effects of light at different times during flights while accounting for the light appearance, ambience, safety, and hardware requirements on board. It was a true collaborative effort bringing together the Charles Perkins Centre, Qantas, Airbus and Caon Design Studios.”
The airline revealed the customised lighting schemes at Airbus’ Airspace Customer Showroom in Toulouse, where a life size mock-up of the Project Sunrise Wellbeing Zone is being temporarily displayed.
Qantas will be the first airline in the world to offer a purpose-built Wellbeing Zone located between the Premium Economy and Economy cabins featuring sculpted wall panels and integrated stretch handles, guided on-screen exercise program, a hydration station and a range of refreshments.
The Wellbeing Zone was recently recognised at the Crystal Cabin Awards, taking out the category of "Passenger Comfort" on the specially designed A350.
