consulting with suppliers and studio personnel. They applaud the efficiency. Opened in March 2014, the 737 Configuration Studio has succeeded in streamlining a selection process for airplane interiors that was once lengthy and cumbersome, according to Chase Craig, Alaska Airlines director, brand experience–onboard. “Prior to the studio, you had four or five places in Seattle you had to go, where now you can go to one place in one afternoon,” Craig said. “In having one-stop shopping, Boeing really understands the value of our time.” Similar to the 787 Dreamliner Gallery in Everett, Wash., the configuration studio can be as busy as an airport terminal. More than 5,000 visitors from 50 airlines have used the cheery, spacious facility, among them chief executive officers, BOEING FRONTIERS systems and perform cabin services to see what worked best, Craver said. In the fabric room, customers pick out color schemes for walls, seats, carpets and curtains. It’s not unlike a homeowner outfitting a new residence. Samples are organized in bins or hang in a closetlike space. Airlines often compare their flight attendant uniforms and other color palettes to the studio fabrics. The light lab is an extension of the fabric room. It’s a mock airplane cabin that holds three rows of seating of six seats each, plus windows and stowage bins. Customers can check fabric colors against different levels of lighting, such as dimming the cabin before takeoff, so there are no issues later. The interior color has to be precise. “It’s where they get to set themselves apart from other airlines,” said Aubrey Davis, project manager for Teague, Boeing’s longtime interiors partner that board members, marketing directors, interiors specialists and flight attendants. Groups range from two to 20 people. The studio offers showrooms that display seating, galley, lighting and fabric choices. It also provides four conference rooms for airline employees to meet and brainstorm in or confer with personnel back at their corporate offices. “It’s like being on an airplane,” said Kent Craver, Boeing regional director for cabin experience. In the front of the galley room are nine ovens and four beverage machines, each readily movable to illustrate cabin fit, positioning and accessibility. Electrical and water connections enable cooking trials. Four suppliers have cordoned-off sections with their cabin products on display. It’s a hands-on area, with an airline once bringing in 20 flight attendants simply to move beverage carts around, cycle galley 50
Frontiers December 2015 - January 2016 Issue
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