Eleven seats in a row? Airbus unveils latest A380 cabin design

▲Airbus’s latest cabin design in a 3-5-3, 11-seat layout. (Photo/runwaygirlnetwork)

By Rita

Passengers usually dread middle seats the most, as they offer neither the convenience of an aisle for bathroom breaks nor the view of a window. Yet Airbus’s latest A380 cabin design proposes a 3-5-3 layout with 11 seats per row—dubbed “cattle class.” With more middle seats, can you accept it?

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, to boost profits, Airbus has increased the number of seats per row on its new A380 cabins from 10 (in a 3-4-3 layout) to 11 (in a 3-5-3 layout), adding up to 70 extra middle seats.


▲The current A380 economy class uses a 3-4-3 layout, shown here on an Emirates A380. (Photo/Reported by photographer Chen Ruizhong)

This design is said to generate an additional $23 million in revenue, and these cabins will be used on long-haul flights exceeding 17 hours. Airbus emphasized that seat width will remain unchanged at 18 inches—still one inch wider than low-cost carriers.

So far, no airlines have signed contracts for this design, which still awaits market acceptance.