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TODAY IN THE SKY
Boeing

Could this be the airline of the future?

Harriet Baskas
Special for USA TODAY

Teague, the Seattle-based company that helped design Microsoft’s first Xbox and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, spent some quality time re-imagining the flying experience of the future and came up with Poppi, a new airline that is disruptive, inventive and very appealing.

If only it were real.

“We wanted to create a means for the airline industry to preview innovations that passengers will love and that will help airlines become more profitable,” said Devin Liddell, Teague’s principal brand strategist, “in hopes that they’ll adopt some of the ideas now instead of when it’s too late.”

So what does Poppi have that United, Delta, American and other real-world airlines don’t?

For starters, overhead bins just large enough to hold computer bags, jackets and hats.

“On Poppi there would be no big carry-on bags,” said Liddell. Instead, everyone’s luggage would be tagged with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag “that lets them know exactly where their bag is. That would sidestep the nightmare that takes place on the cabin when people try to cram their bags into the overhead bins and would make exiting the plane go much faster.”

First look: Boeing's new 'Space Bins' expand carry-on capacity

For frequent business travelers and other passengers who really need to keep a carry-on bag nearby, Poppi would offer customized luggage that becomes part of the seat.

Passengers assigned to the dreaded middle seat would be in a rebranded “Promotional Class” and rewarded with perks, gifts or bonuses designed to make up for the discomfort, while other passengers might pay extra to be seated in an experience-rich section, such as “Cinema Class,” that offers special, sponsored content.

“The tech industry never stops thinking about what’s next,” said Liddell, “but for a variety of reasons there isn’t as much of an appetite for innovation in the aviation industry as there should be.”

That’s one reason Teague created the imaginary Poppi airline and is sharing these and other innovative ideas with the public.

“We wanted to put this out there to spark conversation and change,” said Liddell. “And we believe just about all the ideas we’ve come up with are do-able within the next five to ten years.”

Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and USA TODAY Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.

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