Airlines with a high level of service are trying to make air travel as comfortable as possible. However, the flight still remains a rather tedious thing. Therefore, it is so important to choose the right seats in the cabin. One of the most popular aircraft that are currently used to transport passengers over long distances is the Airbus 320. The interior layout for both models (320-100 and 320-200) looks approximately the same. Only the second model is currently in operation. From the first for technical reasons, the developers refused. But first things first.
History of creation
The Airbus A320 is a narrow-body aircraft for short and medium-haul airlines. Airbus began developing the A320 after the success of the A300. The main features of the new items were the digital cockpit and EDSU (remote control system). Instead of mechanical devices before the pilots' eyes, already in 1988 all flight data was displayed on an electron-beam screen. The third innovation is the use of side sticks instead of helms. These side handles were directly connected to the aircraft control unit. Any movement on the side sticks was instantly processed by the on-board computers and activated. A high level of automation made it possible to limit the number of crew to two pilots. For the same reason, Aeroflot is actively using this model.
The Airbus 320, the cabin layout of which is presented below, has a liner length of 37.59 m, a height of eleven meters, and a maximum width of thirty-four meters. With a maximum load of one and a half hundred people, the airliner can travel six thousand kilometers. The difference in the modifications affected the number of seats. The two-class model is designed for 150 passengers, and the one-class model - for one hundred and eighty.
Airbus 320: updated cabin layout
The A320 has several advantages compared to other airliners: large shelves for hand luggage in a spacious cabin, wide hatches for loading luggage and a large cargo deck. In the early 2000s, trim panels were changed in the cabin, FAPs were made with touch screens, the volume of shelves for hand luggage increased by eleven percent, LED individual lighting appeared and the ability to adjust the brightness of the cabin. In addition, the logistics of computers was updated, the electron-beam screens were replaced by LCD-displays. For these reasons, and also because of the relatively low cost, an airbus is very popular in the world.
Production
Parts from various plants are delivered to Toulouse for the final assembly of the A320. In 2007, German managers achieved the transfer of production to Germany. Productive capacity is forty-two units per month, in KRC - fifty aircraft per year. Some parts are delivered from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. The release of the A320 allows Airbus Industrie to offset the losses associated with the production of the A380. But the company incurs losses due to the difference in rates. Payment for equipment takes place in dollars, and production is concentrated in the Eurozone. A successful model served as the basis for the development of A321, A319 and A318.
Airbus 320: interior layout
Aeroflot names the best places on the plane: A, B, E, F in the fourth row and B, C, D, E in the eleventh. General rules for choosing a place are standard. Before buying a ticket, familiarize yourself with the layout of airplanes from booklets, which can be purchased at the ticket office. “Good” tickets are sold out quickly, so it’s better to check in early. Places in the tail, next to galleys and toilets, are better not to acquire. During the purchase, focus on your taste: if you are going to sleep all the way, it is better to choose a place near the wall, and if you admire the clouds, then at the window. These are two different concepts. Read the booklets carefully.
The Airbus 320,200, the cabin layout of which is presented below, includes twenty-five rows of five or six seats each. The first five rows are given for business class. The distance between the rows in this model is quite limited. The first row has its own characteristics:
- business armchairs have a large angle of inclination; you can safely recline your back without hitting anyone;
- passengers with small children rarely fly in a business class, although the entire cabin is equipped with a mount for cradles;
- business class passengers will not have a special legroom.
Economy Features
The sixth row is located in front of the partition of the Airbus 320 liner. The cabin diagram demonstrates this in detail. The step of the seats in the economy class is even smaller. But passengers in a separate row can not worry that someone will throw their seat back on them. If you do not take magazines with you on the road, you will have to admire the wall in front all the time. Since this is the first row of an economy class, service begins with it.
The eighth row is close to the emergency exit. Therefore, the backrests are very limited in movement. Ninth row passengers will face the same problem. Places A and F may be chamfered. But, due to the large distance between the rows, passengers can comfortably sit with their legs extended. If one of the neighbors needs to go out, he can do it without disturbing you.
The first nine places B and E do not have access to the porthole. They are located in the middle of the row. Passengers from seats C and D can leave them quickly at any time without disturbing their neighbors. But flight attendants with trolleys and other flight participants can interfere when they move along the aisle in the Airbus 320 100 model.
The layout of the cabin is designed in such a way that the best seats in the economy class are in the tenth row: B, C, D and E. The comfort of passengers is achieved by the easy reclining back of the seats and large legroom. But carry-on baggage will have to be placed underfoot, as there is no place under the seats for it. This situation will make it difficult to access emergency hatches. Tickets for the ninth and tenth rows are better not to buy for passengers with children and the elderly. The safest places on this plane are in the fourth and eleventh rows, as they are next to the emergency exits.
Other interior features
The extreme places of the twenty-fourth row can be very uncomfortable due to the close proximity to the toilet cubicles. It is worthwhile to prepare in advance for a constant crowd of people in armchairs. Seats of the last, twenty-fifth, row are considered the most uncomfortable on the plane. In addition to the smell from the toilet, the constant movement, the sound of a merging tank and slamming cabin doors, people sitting in the last row will not be able to tilt the back of the chair back.
On this plane, even the tallest passengers can feel uncomfortable. This is due not only to turbulence, but also to the technical nuances of the airliner. However, despite these shortcomings, the A320 is one of the most successful in the world. Already produced more than four thousand cars, another seven are preparing to launch.
Development prospects
Although the A320 made its first flight a quarter of a century ago, the aircraft is constantly being upgraded. Currently, developers are working on installing new engines, which will save fuel by fifteen percent, as well as increase flight range by 950 km or carrying capacity by two tons. The “Airbus 320”, the interior layout of which is practically no different from its predecessor, received in its name the prefix neo- (new engine options). According to the general director of the company, new equipment will reduce operating costs by 20%. The first aircraft is preparing for release in 2016. In just 15 years, Airbus plans to sell 4,000 units. Already collected 670 orders for a total of one thousand units. In Russia, Transaero Airlines became the first customer.
Summary
The most comfortable aircraft for long flights today is the Airbus 320. The scheme of the cabin, studied in detail before buying a ticket, allows you to decide on a comfortable place to fly. The general impressions of the time spent on the plane depend on this. No. 4 (A, B, E, F) and No. 11 (B, C, D, E) are the safest places on the Airbus 320 airliner. The scheme of the S7 cabin shows this in detail.