Spring 2009 / Team Project / Institute of Design
Airstream is a system of conceptual technologies for Generation Y business travelers. This work will be on display at the Fall 2009 Design Research Conference.

The problem
Boeing initiateed this project to explore the future of in-flight entertainment. We chose to focus on the Generation Y, or Millennial Generation, business traveler's needs, as this growing generation of business travelers brings new expectations and technologies to the air travel experience.

Research approach
We began with extensive secondary research into air travel, competitor offerings, new technologies, and relevant trends. From there we moved into a primary research phase, which included interviews with Millennial travelers and airline crew members, as well as a journal and digital camera study, an online survey, airport observations, and visits to flight-related museums.

Key findings
Primary research revealed that next-generation business travelers have concerns that span the entire travel experience. In particular, their concerns related to five key themes: variety and personalization, access, connection, comfort, and planning. It seemed that in-flight entertainment's real potential was in its ability to address additional stages of the experience.

The Airstream concepts
In the end, we produced a portfolio of concepts that could be part of a technology-based system available primarily in flight but with touch-points throughout the travel experience. The concepts address three high-level goals: help people stay connected, keep people informed about their travel experience, and assist with management of personal belongings.