Airbus A350 Getting Dimmable Windows

At the Consumer Electronics Show in 2020, it was revealed that dimmable windows would be introduced on the A350. It is interesting to note that at least one airline customer is not interested in this technology.

Airbus will start offering dimmable windows

The A350 will have a dimmable window feature in the future. The launch customer for this new feature hasn't been revealed.

This is part of an overall change to the aircraft manufacturer's signature Airspace cabin design, and it will bring the A350 in line with the Boeing 787 in this regard.

Gentex Corporation is a supplier of electronically dimmable windows for theAerospace industry. Passengers will no longer have to manually push the window shade up or down, but will instead be able to adjust their window shade by pushing a button.

Passengers will be able to change the tint of the windows with this new technology. A heat control solution that blocks red energy from entering the cabin from outside will be incorporated into these dimmers.

Ultra-dark low-end transmission and high-speed transition between clear and dark will be offered by these latest generation windows. The new windows will become 100 times darker and eliminate 99% of visible light.

Lufthansa not interested in dimmable windows

The first plane with dimmable windows is expected to enter service in the coming months, but according to a report, the airlines aren't interested in this feature. The airline doesn't install dimmable windows on the A350s it has on order.

This isn't about cost savings, but about the passenger experience, and the general drawbacks of this window technology, according to a spokesman for the airline.

There is a lot to look forward to with the upcoming A350s, as they are expected to feature a new business class and a new first class product.

My issue with Boeing 787 dimmable windows

The window shades on the 787 are cool, but I don't like them and prefer the A350.

• Many times the crew will just “lock” the window setting on dark for the entire flight, meaning there’s no way you can look outside
• Even when in the darkest mode, I find that it’s still somewhat bright, and worst of all if you’re on the same side of the plane as the sun, it can get hot
• The dimming happens slowly, which sometimes makes it tough to figure out if you’re controlling the window shades correctly or not

The dimmable window technology from Airbus seems to address some of my concerns, and at the max setting it will be much darker.

Airline crews are trying to dictate window shade settings, which is my main concern. I like sitting in a window seat for the view, but some airlines try to make the cabin dark by locking the dimmers at the lightest setting. Some airlines have stopped crews from doing this.

New dimmable windows will be part of an update to the Airspace cabin design.

Based on how these window shades are currently implemented, I don't think I'm a fan of this development. The new window shades seem to address many of my concerns. I'm a little less opposed to this development if the window shades can dim more quickly.

The crews shouldn't be controlling window settings for the entire flight.

It sounds like airlines will be able to opt out of this technology, as evidenced by the fact that Lufthansa stated that it wouldn't offer this technology on its A350s.

What do you think about the A350?