Airbus unit envisions adjustable mobile modules for planes

Dallas

SINCE the dawn of the jet age, airlines have adopted a uniform model for passenger cabins. There have been modest variations - a rear-facing seat here, a tiny first class bar there - but the basic template of forward-facing seats and rows has withstood the test of time because it is efficient and makes money.

Futurists at A3, Airbus Group's Silicon Valley research outpost, are contemplating a new paradigm. Instead of a design that is set in stone when the aircraft rolls out for its maiden flight, they envision mobile modules that a carrier could adjust rapidly, much the way that freight airlines alter interiors for cargo.