Being in Control of Noise Levels Improves the Perception of Airplane Seat Comfort

J.M.A. Bouwens*, L. Fasulo, S. Hiemstra-van Mastrigt, U. Schultheis, Alessandro Naddeo, Peter Vink

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

The aviation industry is constantly making compromises when designing comfortable airplane cabins. Providing passengers with a pleasant acoustic environment without adding weight to the cabin structure is a field of tension that challenges cabin interior designers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether noise levels affect the comfort and physical discomfort experienced by airplane passengers, and whether control influences comfort perception. To this end, 30 participants experienced three conditions (silence, aircraft engine noise at 75 dB, and the same noise with the ability to use earplugs), and comfort and discomfort were measured using a questionnaire. It was concluded that aircraft engine noise negatively affected the airplane passengers’ comfort experiences. Having the ability to control this noisy environment with earplugs resulted in the lowest reported physical discomfort.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3-11
JournalAviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Keywords

  • aircraft cabin noise
  • Passenger Comfort
  • Discomfort
  • Airplane seat
  • control

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