Aircraft Interiors Expo's Focus on Weight

(MoneyWatch)  I attended day 1 of the inaugural US version of the Aircraft Interiors Expo earlier this week, and I saw one big theme throughout the show. It's all about weight.

Let me explain. With fuel prices at such a high level, every ounce of weight on every single airplane becomes important. The more weight you have onboard, the more you have to pay in fuel to fly it around. So, just about every vendor I spoke with brought up weight right away.

I talked to Lantal about their new air-filled seat cushions (instead of foam), and they talked about how much less it weighs. Next I talked to Relaxor about their in-seat massage product, and they focused on how much they had been able to bring down weight recently. Also, when speaking with Row 44, a company working to provide in-flight internet, they kept talking about how their equipment weighs far less than previous systems (the now defunct Connexion by Boeing). It was the same everywhere I went. Weight is king.

We've seen it on-board aircraft already. The slim-line seats weren't put in because of passenger comfort. They were put in because they weighed less and you could try to squeeze another row in, depending upon the airplane. This is something that I don't think we'll see change any time soon. Even if fuel prices go down, people aren't going to just start throwing heavy things on airplanes. The trend to installing lighter materials and product on-board aircraft will only continue.