A microcosm of living

A new perspective on the cabin experience: Aviation design

In the latest instalment of our In Conversation series, Isabella Speight, Client Strategy Director, sits down with Luke Miles, Founder at the global design and brand experience studio. With deep brand experience expertise across sectors including hospitality, automotive and aviation, NewTerritory is recognised as a leading design and brand experience studio, founded in London.

They explore how the interior of an aircraft becomes a condensed model of everyday life and what that means for designing travel experiences.

Isabella Speight (IS): Luke, you describe the aircraft interior as a “microcosm”. Can you explain what you mean by that?

Luke Miles (LM): The interior of an aircraft is a fascinating microcosm of daily life - albeit condensed, contained and challenging. Whether you're boarding a short domestic flight or settling in for a long-haul journey across continents, the space inside an airplane mirrors many aspects of life on the ground.

Yet, everything within that confined environment must function within stringent physical and psychological constraints, from personal interactions to basic needs like food, hygiene, rest and well-being.

This unique space amplifies many of the daily complexities we face, creating a compelling, self-contained world that, in many ways, offers a miniature version of living.

IS: In that sense, the aircraft almost becomes a temporary community. How do those social dynamics play out on board?

LM: One of the most striking ways it mirrors everyday life is through the social interactions that take place.

The passengers and crew on-board form a temporary, diverse community, much like a small village or city. Strangers of different backgrounds, cultures, and languages sit side by side, sharing a common space for a limited period of time.

Like any community, this enclosed social ecosystem comes with its own dynamics. People cooperate, negotiate personal space, and deal with shared resources such as overhead bin space or access to the lavatories. This condensed social landscape often leads to intensified social behaviours - both positive and negative.

Acts of kindness, such as helping someone with their luggage, stand out, while tensions over reclining seats or armrest space reflect the broader challenges of human coexistence.

IS: And personal space must become incredibly important in that environment?

LM: Living in confined quarters, such as on an aircraft, makes the concept of personal space particularly salient.

The interior of an aircraft is designed to maximise efficiency, often at the expense of comfort, especially in economy class. Seats are packed together, tray tables fold into impossibly small compartments, and even legroom is sacrificed to maximise the limited space.

This arrangement forces passengers to constantly negotiate personal boundaries. On the ground, people often have the freedom to move about, create distance from others, or retreat into their private spaces. In an aircraft, however, such freedoms are curtailed.

The sense of containment can feel claustrophobic for some, heightening the importance of spatial awareness and empathy toward fellow travellers.

IS: Beyond space and social dynamics, human needs must also be considered here. How does that shape the experience?

LM: Basic human needs such as food, sleep, and hygiene must be addressed even in the air, but they are adapted to suit the limitations of the aircraft environment. The provision of meals is a stark example of this.

In daily life, we have the luxury of choosing what and when to eat, but in this context, meals are pre-packaged, often unremarkable, and served on a rigid schedule. The challenge of preparing and serving food in a pressurised cabin at high altitude means the culinary experience is often stripped down to its most functional elements.

Sleep, too, is a basic need that becomes complicated in an aircraft setting. The cramped seating, combined with the noise of the engines and the fluctuating cabin pressure, makes rest difficult to achieve. Passengers must improvise.

IS: How does the environment itself tend to influence how people feel and behave during a flight?

LM: The artificial environment of an aircraft cabin not only restricts space but also influences passenger behaviour through its physical conditions.

The pressurised atmosphere, lower oxygen levels, and controlled temperature can subtly affect mood and comfort. Additionally, the enclosed space tends to create a sense of shared vulnerability, with everyone depending on the crew for safety and comfort - making the flight attendants a crucial part of the in-flight experience.

IS: Given all of these constraints, what role can design play in transforming that experience?

LM: When approached with creativity, deep empathy and radical collaboration these environments, despite their inherent spatial and environmental limitations, can be transformed into a more liveable spaces through a blend of intelligent design and thoughtful hospitality.

It’s a truly composite experience which requires the careful management of all the senses - from the physical, to food, well-being, human service and digital. It also takes brave ambition and an understanding that carrier brands must work to break parity - that it’s no longer enough to enter the ‘experience echo chamber’.

They must shape something synonymous with their brand and organisation. Something so memorable across classes, that if you removed the brand marque - you’d know who you’re travelling with.

How NewTerritory is bringing modern Mexican culture to the sky

How to stop your AI agents acting like everyone else’s

NewTerritory strengthens senior team with key hires

A microcosm of living

A new perspective on the cabin experience: Aviation design

Read more