Airplane foot bins: The key to solving cabin storage problems?

The frenzy to stuff gear into the overhead lockers is one of the most maddening aspects of modern air travel, but imagine if you had your own personal storage area. What if you didn't have to spread your belongings between lockers 10 rows apart and then dodge and weave to retrieve them in the face of a muttering torrent of de-planing passengers. How about your own compartment in the floor to store essential items, free up overhead space and stop the cabin crew telling you off for gear strewn around your feet? This simple solution to airplane storage space has won a team of students from the University of Hong Kong a $33,700 prize as winners of Airbus' fifth Fly Your Ideas competition. The plan for a hinged bin could be rolled out on airlines around the world after judges were taken by the innovative idea, submitted by Team DAELead. "The judges were impressed by the vision and skill of Team DAELead in seeing such a simple but effective solution for improved passenger experience," says a statement on the Fly Your Ideas website. "The new aircraft cabin design fully utilizes the space between the cabin floor and the cargo ceiling to give the passengers their own personal luggage space."<br/>