Five of the Most Creative Airline Patents from 2016
Photo Credit: British Airways likely had the most unusual patent application in recent months, as it is considering using a network of sensors to track passenger desires. British Airways
Skift Take
Who says airlines and suppliers can't innovative? Every year, they file for many unusual patents to protect their intellectual property. The problem? Most of the ideas never hit the market.
Like corporations in any industry, airlines and their suppliers apply for patents constantly to protect intellectual property. And like in all industries, most of the patented ideas never make it to market.
But monitoring patents can be fun, because they show how airlines might innovate if they didn't have to worry about costs, government regulations, or privacy laws. While some patents are for practical ideas, many more have pie-in-the-sky type elements.
In recent years, we've seen patents for bunk-bed style seats, and seats that come with virtual reality-style headsets. Another patent filed in 2015 called for an onboard conveyor belt that would allow airlines to deliver food to each seat.
Many of this year's patent applications were equally amusing. Some exciting ideas, found in patents filed by British Airways, Airbus, and Mastercard, may never reach market. But other less innovative patents, such as applications from United Airlines and Recaro, a seat-manufacture
