The snazziest lighting of all is in the 8 sq m Wellbeing Zone, between the economy and premium economy cabins, which all passengers can use to stretch, socialise, eat healthy snacks and enjoy (non-alcoholic) drinks. Caon, Qantas and Airbus have used special lenses in front of the galley-mounted LEDs to make the light ripple over the ceiling and side walls, like sunlight refracted off the surface of a swimming pool. “It creates a sense of calm and space and is quintessentially Australian,” says Caon.
The lighting is the result of more than 150 hours of testing in Airbus’s Customer Definition Centre in Hamburg carried out by Qantas, Caon and the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, which researches how long-haul travel affects passengers and how best to combat jet lag.
“Aircraft lighting doesn’t cross the mind of most travellers but light plays an important part in controlling our body clocks,” says Caon. “By manipulating the timing, strength and wavelengths of light during a flight, it’s possible to ‘trick’ passengers into staying awake and going to sleep at times that will help them to hit the ground running when they land.”
The only enviable problem with Qantas first class is how much to charge for a non-stop return from London to Sydney and Melbourne. The airline’s new boss, Vanessa Hudson, is an accountant, so expect sticker shock. My money’s on £16,000.
