SINGAPORE — Would it matter to you if the windows on planes were installed two inches higher in the fuselage (that’s the body of a plane, to us regular folk)? Most passengers probably won’t notice any difference, let alone pin down the reason why they might actually feel slightly better.

That’s the concern of a team of researchers, engineers and, well, Blake Emery, who has spent the last 14 years trying to improve Boeing’s commercial planes. As director of differentiation strategy, he talks to airlines and studies the psychology of passengers, to come up with ways to create better planes and, not to mention, flying experiences “that the competition can’t copy”.

Make no mistake, he’s not the guy you complain to if you find your seats uncomfortable or the aisles too narrow. “Boeing controls the ceiling, the lighting, (luggage) bins, the sidewalls, the windows and the window reveals. These are ours,” he explained. “Everything else is the (airline’s responsibility), we don’t make the seats — that’s not our decision — and we certainly don’t do the colours.”

A trained psychologist who went from being the organisational psychologist at Boeing to its cabin design guru, Emery added that a big part of his job involves asking the right questions. While passengers in economy class will always want more legroom, that desire, unfortunately, can’t always be met as that is limited by economics.

He agreed that this has taken the glamour out of flying, but this may not necessarily be a bad thing. Previously, only the very wealthy could afford to fly. “Now that so many people get to fly is wonderful; the magic is always there.”

PLANE TO SEE

What Emery and his team do is help you feel some of that magic again, with the elements Boeing can control. He has done this most extensively for the Dreamliner 787, in particular the look and feel of the flight deck whereby nothing in the design of its interior is random.

For instance, the 787 not only has bigger, electronically dimmable windows but also a dome ceiling for a greater and more inviting sense of space. The ceiling also boasts light-emitting diodes that change colour for a sky simulation effect. Storage bins were also redesigned to be larger, so storing your rollaway luggage is less of a hassle and consequently less stressful. You settle into your seat already feeling more relaxed than usual.

Emery pointed out that it’s always a combination of factors working together to change the flying experience. “Our competitor likes to talk about seat width but we have all kinds of research showing that nine (seats) abreast on the 787 scores better than eight abreast on the A330, which has wider seats. It doesn’t hold true that wider means everything is better,” he said, adding there are many other factors that contribute to the flight experience.

He also revealed that there are things Boeing has tinkered with that are not as obvious, but they improve the passenger’s mood and physical state. One such improvement is the new gaseous filtration system on the 787. It scrubs out tiny particles in the air in the cabin, thereby reducing symptoms, such as dryness in eyes, nose and throat that travellers could potentially struggle with. “People do feel better, but they’re not going to know the reason. How do you understand the headache you didn’t get?”

THE RIGHT FIT

Naturally, airlines have tried to poach Emery from Boeing to help them better differentiate their products. But he is happy to stay where he is. “I love the concept of differentiation and I would like to see more differentiation in airlines, but I really like where I am,” said the outgoing American. “I get to think about the future, and (about) planes that don’t exist (yet). That’s cool and stimulating.” He’s currently working on something that has never been done in airplane cabin design, but said he couldn’t share anything beyond that.

Emery did say that if he could drastically change anything on the plane, he would make smaller bins. “This is not Boeing’s position. It’s Blake’s. I always check my bags in, so I don’t have the stress of worrying if I can find space in the bin.

“Bringing (all) that stuff on board does not actually help with the passenger experience,” he said. “Planes used to only have a hat rack. But I fully recognise that there are practical reasons for needing to carry your bags onboard — and there are also psychological reasons for doing so. We are strongly attached to our luggage and we’re worried about airlines losing our bags. We understand that.”

Looks like while you may not always get the legroom you desire, you can definitely take more luggage onboard thanks to better design. Feeling better already?