Putting Profitable Bums into Seats: The Business and Design of Aircraft Interiors
Posted: September 23, 2011 Filed under: Creative, Unusual, Amusing | Tags: aircraft interior design, Hamburg Aircraft Interior Expo, Monocle 2 CommentsMonocle has this interesting survey of the Hamburg Aircraft Interior Expo, which is a marketplace for everything you could possibly put in an aircraft, from Lufthansa Technik to niche safety-belt manufacturers. There are cool design ideas as well as interesting facts about the tradeoffs in form and function, particularly achieving reliability, low weight, and differentiation in a competitive market.
http://www.monocle.com/sections/business/Web-Articles/Aircraft-Interiors-Expo/
xraydelta 
An interesting look at a human-centered approach to designing an aircraft interior from the folks at IDEO, with Air New Zealand and local design talent: http://www.ideo.com/work/long-haul-travel-experience
The Hamburg expo looks like a great source of inspiration, but I wonder if a central marketplace like this misses the regional human aspect that depends on local culture, and/or the needs of people traveling with a certain carrier or to a certain place.
Andrew raises a great point around seeking scale economics versus striving to have local and even individual customization. There are some examples where supply is tweaked in response to demand, such as Zara. With processes such as manufacturing printing technologies, we will create at some time in the near future products bespoke to each person at an affordable price.