Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Airbus has unveiled a series of space-saving modifications for the A380 cabin that will result in room for another 78 passengers on average. Presenting the package at the April 4 to 6 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, the company said average four-class passenger capacity will increase from 497 to 575, allowing the A380 to generate “significantly more revenue” for operators.


An 11-abreast “three-five-three” seating configuration in the airplane’s main deck economy class accounts for the most additional capacity, allowing for another 23 passengers. Meanwhile, modifications allowing for a move to from eight abreast to nine abreast in premium economy accounts for another 11.


However, perhaps the most revenue-generating potential lies with a new forward stairs (NFS) design that relocates involves relocation of the forward stair from Door 1 to Door 2 and combininges the entrance of the NFS to the upper deck with the adjacent staircase to the lower-deck crew rest. That modification will add another 20 seats in business, economy plus and economy.


Still more business class capacity comes from the removal of upper-deck sidewall stowage, increasing wall-to-wall cabin width at foot-rest height and generating space for up to 10 more business class seats/beds in an angled herring-bone arrangement.


Separately, a new aft-galley stair module (AGSM) involves the redesign of the rear stair from a spiral agreement to a straight/square one, allowing for more storage volume for galley modules on the main deck. The AGSM provides space for 14 more revenue passengers plus two extra food trolleys.


Finally, the offerings include a combined crew-rest compartment (CCRC), where designers moved down the existing flight-crew-rest (behind the cockpit in the mezzanine area at Door 1) and combined it with the cabin crew rest on the lower deck. That modification allows for another three premium economy seats in the front of the main deck.&nbsp;

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