Sarah Rose (they/them) is a news writer and reporter for AIN. 
Prior to AIN, Sarah worked as a journalist for Georgia Public Broadcasting, Georgia&#039;s statewide NPR and PBS affiliate. They have also worked for several national nonprofits and as a legislative assistant in U.S. Congress. As an openly nonbinary reporter, they are a proud member of the Trans Journalists Association. 
Sarah is a 2012 graduate of Kennesaw State University.

News Writer

Sarah Rose

The state of the completions market has changed a lot in the last few years, shaped in part by a post-pandemic consumer base whose preferences in style, design, and functionality of space have evolved with the times. Several factors are seemingly at play in this shift, with customers seeking to have more versatile compatibility in the functions of their cabin space, more streamlined and modern designs, and better connectivity using the latest technology.&nbsp;
<h2>A More Minimalist Aesthetic</h2>
VIP Completions president Ben Shirazi told AIN that customers’ taste in design has shifted towards the minimalist “Apple store” aesthetic that is commonly seen in modern home design—a shift away from the classic “wood grain” and natural materials look that previously dominated so much of the market.
“I would say every project we've done for the last year, year and a half—as well as every project we have scheduled for the upcoming future—it's all modern, you know, matte woods, open greens, kind of a ‘Zen natural’ color palette. It’s definitely that,” he said.
Veta Traxler, senior designer at West Star Aviation, has also noticed the minimalist aesthetic has taken priority among customers.
“You’re seeing a lot more monochromatic interiors, with more texture. So for example, carpets right now are going for a much more textural look, much softer, for example, to make it look more ‘presidential.’ In the past, carpets had much more of the ‘hospitality look,’” she said.
Mary Lee of Duncan Aviation said the shift towards a “simpler” aesthetic has had an impact on design preferences in the cabin, as a whole.
“We’re getting rid of a lot of the old-fashioned kind of decorative trims and things like that that we've seen. Very simple. Moving more towards a soft, neutral, natural color palette. The soft white hybrids, pulling colors from nature, natural wood tones versus some of the highly stained woods that we've seen before,” she said. “Building on textures, tone on tone, monochromatic, but yet bringing visual interest with that warm, cozy, modern clean line feel. So we're seeing a lot of white seeds with dark black accents and carpets, cooler metal tones. Darker veneers kind of go to that contemporary styling, kind of a white silver plating look with our more modern, cozy, natural aesthetic.”&nbsp;

Shirazi said the growth of those design preferences is an indication of a younger clientele stepping into the completions market.
“The buyer today is the younger generation; the younger generation has wealth earlier than they did many years ago. That's who the target audience is today. You have a 30-year-old and a 40-year-old entrepreneur buying an aircraft as opposed to a 60 and a 70-year-old. So again, their expectations are more modern, you know?” he added. “Back to more amenities, they're expecting to have everything at their disposal as opposed to some limitations.”
<h2>New Preferences in Connectivity</h2>
Along with a more modern aesthetic is a desire for increased connectivity for passengers, both to the internet as a whole and a seamless integration with personal electronics. As more people carry their own tablets, smartphones, and laptops, there has been an increase in making sure customers can integrate their tech with their cabin experience.

For some completions companies, that has meant moving away from the previous need for “modular” technology like built-in television screens and panels. Robert Stockton of Western Aircraft has seen that shift firsthand.
“We get a lot of older aircraft that have integrated TV monitors and entertainment systems that just aren't what today's technology is. It’s unused a lot of times, and so we get requests to remove that. That's a difficult thing when you have a big hole in your bulkhead, so we’ve got to cover that with something, and to re-veneer the whole piece is the best way to do it. Then you end up re-engineering a large section of the whole aircraft just for that one purpose," Stockton said, "Then you have other aircraft where the TVs are integrated into the upper sidewall panels and then we remove those. You have also another hole, which is a little bit easier because you can cover that with material. But there's a lot of work. A lot of customers say, ‘Just leave it, we just won't use it.’
"And then there's also DVD players that aren't being used. So those will be removed and now you have extra storage space in your cabinetry. So, that's kind of a bonus. But a lot of it is definitely new technology," he concluded.
Steve Elofson of Duncan Aviation has also seen that shift. “It’s less often that there's a DVD or a Blu-Ray player that's in the aircraft, and it's more that the monitors that are in the aircraft are used for moving map systems such as Airshow,” he said.
With that shift away from modular technology has also come an added focus on the latest ways to ensure wireless internet connectivity. Shirazi said that Starlink, the satellite internet company spearheaded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, has growing popularity within the industry.
“Obviously, Starlink is a big word that's used with most buyers today. Everybody wants it. Everybody's expecting it to be available,” he said. Shirazi noted that he believes Starlink is still navigating a growing demand in the market.
“It's taking a little longer for Starlink to get rolled out. We've dealt with them directly, and I feel they're kind of more engineering-focused than they are sales-focused. They’re focusing on the tech and the connectivity more than how they're going to roll out their sales program. They've kind of picked the handful now. And it's this year it’s getting put in multiple aircraft and multiple different models,” he said.
<h2>The Sustainability Factor</h2>
Several industry players in the aerospace industry as a whole are vocal now about taking steps towards combating carbon emissions and creating environmentally positive change, and with that comes a broader question about how sustainable materials have permeated the completions market.
Lee said vendors are leading the push toward greener products.
“Our vendors are implementing a lot of products that are focused on green initiatives. Leather, for instance, we're seeing olive-tanned leathers, so it's 100% organic tanned leather. We're getting away from those harsh chemicals. Fabric companies, as well, are doing a good job as far as using recycled products.
"We have a lot of opportunities with sustainable products and composite veneers, versus the standard natural veneers that we're seeing with exotics that are getting rarer and rarer. I think our vendors are doing a really good job in providing us products that we can offer to our customers if they do get that request,” she said.
Shirazi said he’s also seen the need for sustainable resourcing come from the suppliers of the materials themselves.
“U.S. buyers are really expecting the suppliers to be absorbing the sustainability and factoring that into their business model to be able to get their business. They're picking the most expensive leather supplier and the best veneer supplier and the best carpet supplier because they're expecting that those suppliers are hitting initiatives to support sustainability,” he said.
The sustainability of products has become a common sales feature and an indirect expectation of the buyer, he said.
“Shops that are selling products are trying to use sustainability as more of a sales feature to show, ‘Listen, we're giving you the best product, but we're also sustainable in terms of how we recycle the leather or where we source our product or materials.’ So the U.S. buyer isn't necessarily only buying from sustainability. They're almost expecting to buy from the best, and they have to be factoring that in their supply model,” he said.

West Star's Traxler is a little more cautious, noting that it has seen customers more focused on the carbon footprint of their emissions.
“I personally think it's kind of a buzzword. A lot of people in the refurbishment market don't really ever bring that up specifically. If they do, it's more, ‘How can I reduce my carbon footprint.’ You know, can I plant more trees, for example? It's not necessarily the materials that they're doing inside the cabin. I would say I would get one out of 50 people who are really looking for more sustainable products, but our vendors in the aviation industry are doing a great job and being able to provide some of those activities. We recently did a Challenger where the leather actually was made out of avocados.”
<h2>Supply Chain Issues and Industry Limitations</h2>
Supply chain issues have affected nearly every industry in the U.S. since the onset of the pandemic, and the completions market is no different. While the market has grown and adapted to the new reality of the international supply chain, companies are still seeing stressors impact some sides of their business.
“I would say the biggest thing would be parts, like actual parts. So, we have a customer who wants a brand-new seat frame or they want to do a floor plan change where you're going to need a new table or a new seat. Those things have extremely long lead times. You're looking at 16 weeks to get a new table, for example,” said Traxler.
Shirazi said consolidation within the industry has also been a factor for delays.
“The major players are buying up the smaller players, and they're pushing some of the products out of the market to push some of the more expensive and more complex products. Because of that, those products are taking longer to be designed, built, and delivered," he said. "We definitely see consolidation causing supply chain delays, or product availability times growing. The labor cost is increasing because of inflation and the cost of living. So costs are becoming higher for a project."
Duncan Aviation sales representative Tracey Boesch said some vendors are still recovering from the pandemic economy.&nbsp;“We’re seeing manufacturers there are still requiring six months or more,” she said.
Limited hangar space has also become a factor, she said. “The completion side of the business is so busy right now. Even just more broadly, finding hangar space and getting a project in is challenging. Clients know that coupling major maintenance events with your major interior or avionics upgrades and things is a common practice just to capitalize on the downtime. With so many major meetings and events coming up and limited hangar space available, it's becoming much more of a premium to be able to have slots.”
<h2>"The Buyer is a Different Person Today"</h2>
In a post-pandemic market, the completions industry has adapted to a shifting global economy.
“You know, the buyer is a different person today," said Shirazi. "It's not as much executive and corporate travel. It's more private entrepreneur and family travel. Zoom and e-meetings have kind of changed the game as it relates to executives moving around for meetings."
Traxler said the need for an "office in the sky" has become increasingly prevalent. “Everybody wants to be able to have the connectivity that you have on the ground, up in the air,” she said.
As the market continues to evolve for a new generation with new design choices, the completions market is navigating a changing world and a changing clientele with unique preferences from generations prior.

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