Adams Rite is bringing a suite of Touchfree lavatory products to market to address passenger concerns about COVID-19. In their recent consumer research study, travelers expressed their concerns about air travel and the cleanliness of aircraft lavatories. Currently, 76 percent of passengers indicated that they are unlikely to fly today, 39 percent are unlikely to fly within six months and 15 percent are unlikely to even fly within the next year.
Passengers expressed a heightened concern over the cleanliness of aircraft lavatories. Sixty-four percent said they are less likely to use the lavatory now due to the pandemic. In fact, 53 percent of passengers avoid the restroom altogether and say that it is not clean. According to Jonathan Herr, Business Unit Manager at Adams Rite, “airline passengers expressed concerns about touching just about anything in the lavatory and view contactless lavatories positively alongside other solutions such as hand sanitizer, wearing masks, social distancing and air filtration.”
The most interesting finding for airline customers may be that incorporating Touchfree products into Aircraft lavatories can help airlines increase bookings. A whopping 61 percent of travelers indicated that they are more likely to book a flight with a carrier who has a Touchfree lavatory and 45 percent of travelers are willing to pay 5-10 percent more to fly on a carrier with a Touchfree lavatory.
“For over 80 years Adams Rite has brought innovation to the Aerospace industry. Our team has been working over the past year to understand each customers’ unique needs and drive new concepts to upgrade aircraft lavatories to Touchfree. As our products evolve, we strive to achieve continuous improvements in reliability, weight, and cost,” says Nera-Lee Herzig-Patel, Business Unit Manager at Adams Rite.
Adams Rite is finalizing its lineup of airline, integrator and OEM partners.