Earlier this year we released a report about the top Airport Fitness and Wellness Trends in 2017. We decided to include in-flight wellness and explore why airlines flying healthier is a huge benefit to you. Many airlines are trying to help passengers stay healthy even while in the air and we love that.
There are many reasons why the skies are a hazard to our health. That is why many airlines are offering various ways to help passengers stay healthy onboard.
I just recently attended, 2017 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg and was able to check the latest in cabin interiors, in-flight entertainment, and passenger comfort. Plus, find out a little bit more about what the airlines flying healthier are doing.
Five ways airlines flying healthier will make your trip better
1. Sleep and mood lighting
Qantas is working with academics to determine the best time for meal services on longer flights, to enhance sleep quality. There are new dimmable windows so travelers can get better sleep – but still, look out the window.
Also, Boeing Company design researcher Rachelle N. Ornan-Stone told News Corp the ‘electronically dimmable’ windows would come complete with ‘five levels of darkness.’
As well as sleep lighting, airlines are including LED mood lighting. LEDs come in millions of slightly different colors, which create different moods. In the US, Virgin America has adopted soft light with a pink and purple palette, to help calm passengers during the boarding process.
A few weeks ago Lufthansa flight #A350, took off its first commercial flight named “Nürnberg.” Lufthansa is the first airline worldwide to use a range of different settings for the on-board lighting of the A350-900 which is designed to fit with the day and night-time biorhythms of their passengers.
Brussels Airlines recently unveiled “Amare” aircraft that has special mood lighting in the aircraft cabin. To get everyone in the right atmosphere, the Tomorrowland Hymn by Hans Zimmer is played every time travelers board Amare.
2. Healthier food options
Airplane food is often disgusting. However, some airlines serve healthier meals than others. A new study helps travelers figure out which ones keep calories and cost to a minimum in the meals and snacks they offer while maximizing nutrition, taste, and sustainability.
Cathay Pacific teamed up with Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Tosca to serve dishes straight from its mouth-watering menu to First and Business Class passengers on selected flights from Hong Kong to Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth in April.
A recent article by Delish, “These are the airlines with the best (and worst) food” cites that Virgin is No.1 for best airlines food since it has an established, a “partnership with Dean & Deluca to bring First Class passengers a selection of curated snacks and introduced high-quality ‘Flight Bites’ like fresh salads and wraps made with local fruits and vegetables that we’d happily eat with our feet on the ground.”
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3. Pre-flight pampering at the spa
The wellness perks are not just in the air but also airlines’ premium lounges that are offering full-service spas.
Spa treatments are offered by some airline lounges, but travelers don’t need to be flying First Class to access them. For instance, Air France at Paris Charles de Gaulle has a Biologique Recherche center devoted to your well-being; some of the most luxurious spa services in airports come from airline lounges. For example, Etihad, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic offer superior spa services to their business- and first-class passengers.
Also, British Airways Galleries Club has four locations – one in Terminal 3 and three in Terminal 5. They use a sought-after anti-aging skin-care line, Elemis, and offers over 1o treatments to get some beauty on the fly.
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4. Moisturizing sleepwear
We know how dry the air can be in-flight, but now passengers of Emirates’ aircraft should arrive at their destination glowing, thanks to world-first “moisturizing” pjs. The lounge suits use Hydra Active microcapsule technology to keep the skin hydrated by releasing naturally moisturizing Sea Kelp.
5. Removing airplane germs
We all know airplanes are not germ-free. While at the conference, I passed by the GermFalcon and they are also believers that bugs don’t fly. They created this cleaning machine that moves an ultraviolet light across the cabin to sanitize anything unhealthy to touch.