Australian airline Qantas and the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre conducted a study on how to reduce the effects we feel of jetlag. The study showed us that the way to do this is by reshaping the in-flight experience.
The first research was done while the Qantas’ Project Sunrise program test flights were going on. This project plans to connect Sydney directly to New York and London in late 2025.
In order to obtain real-world data that passengers would experience, Qantas flew three research flights under Project Sunrise from New York and London to Sydney in 2019. In the flight were Australian Researchers keeping an eye on 23 volunteers collecting bias-free data.
Each volunteer was equipped with wearable device technology while they were made to course through a unique menu, experience ambient cabin lighting, and sleep and movement sequences through the 20-hour flight.
What the volunteers experienced during and after the flight when compared to regular travellers was: reduced jet lag, improved quality of sleep, and improved cognitive performance during the first two days after the flight.
Many things were taken into consideration while the flight was in progress. The cabin lighting was adjusted to change in accordance with the destination time zone, involving basic stretches and movement activities and meal timings were changed to adjust the body clock accordingly.
The body clock was adjusted by providing the volunteers with foods such as fish or chicken with fast-acting Carbohydrates, and comfort food such as milk-based desserts and soups. This was done to increase the production of Tryptophan (an amino acid ‘Tryp’) which helps produce Melatonin and Serotonin. Melatonin regulates the body’s sleep and wake cycle, whereas serotonin regulates appetite, sleep, mood, and pain.
The aircrafts that will be used for this research are specially-designed Airbus A350s that consist of a Wellbeing Zone where passengers can take time off and do some stretches and basic exercises, with guidance given through videos.
The Professor of Sleep Medicine at the University of Sydney, Peter Cistulli, said, “The early results are promising, and it’s given us great momentum to look to the next stage of customer research to support Project Sunrise product and service design.”
He went on to say, “We have a multi-disciplinary team of more than ten researchers from medicine, science and engineering backgrounds working together on this project. This includes sleep researchers, circadian experts, nutrition and movement experts. No airline has ever done this kind of research before.”
Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas Group, thrilled about this feat, said, “Now that we have the aircraft technology to do these flights, we want to make sure the customer experience evolves as well, and that’s why we’re doing this research and designing our cabins and service differently.”
He further claimed, “Our A350s will have about 100 fewer seats than most of our competitors, which gives us room for more space in all classes as well as a Wellbeing Zone for Premium Economy and Economy passengers to stretch. People can choose how they spend their time but we’ll make recommendations based on science around menu choices and best times to eat or rest. That extends to before and after the flight to improve how people feel when they arrive on the other side of the world.”
Qantas and Charles Perkins Centre will participate in a lighting workshop at Airbus’ Hamburg HQ later on in the year where lighting will be specially designed for the A350 aircrafts. Along with this, research is also being done to improve and manage the crew’s well-being during the flight.
Qantas’ first A350 is set to be in their hands in the late months of 2025. Once taken delivery, the Project Sunrise route from Sydney to New York will begin soon after.
Experiencing jetlag is like being stuck in a weird time loop. We feel sleepy, but can’t sleep, and our body feels plain lethargic. This feeling can get extremely irritating. Qantas and the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre have come together to achieve something that hasn’t been done before and something that is really needed.
Looking at the results of their first test, it seems to be moving in the correct direction, and hopefully, in the next few years, our way of travelling will be reimagined!
