I imagine upon reading this stories title that you felt it was about the new “handshake” that some have adopted in these times. The dreaded elbow bump. Nope, not at all, although the elbow is turning out to be a lot more useful that we realise, including up in the skies.

One thing I promised myself was not to write upon predictions of the future, nor to wallow in what we have lost. In fact, I made a pact to avoid writing about the pandemic almost entirely. Just the briefest of mentions allowed if it has some context in my article.

I mention this now, as when I came across this innovation, I felt it deserved special mention. There are some very big positives coming out of all this mess, and this is a great example I felt worth sharing.

We’ve all been faced with a regimen of cleaning and increasing our standards of hygiene. Goodness knows we really needed it. Imagine the planning that has gone into the future of airline travel. A daunting prospect indeed. In that world, more is required than just an amenity pack of sanitizing wipes and a mask. It’s in the hardware, that airlines need to look, and the ones that are clever and functional in faultless execution will be the ones that succeed.

Japan’s most modern airline, ANA (All Nippon Airways) has introduced an enhanced health and safety programme, known as the ANA Care Promise, and recently received a five-star rating from Skytrax for cleanliness and hygienic environments.

It has come up with a brilliant idea, implementing one of the smartest innovations in this new world of flying, involving a very significant change to their plane interiors. ANA has partnered up with Jamco Corporation, the renowned manufacturer of aircraft interiors, to develop the world’s first hands-free lavatory doors on a plane. The new product, rolling out domestically from the beginning of May, will significantly reduce the risk of viral transmission via one of the most highly touched surfaces in the aircraft cabin.

Safety, convenience, and hygiene all play a big part here. The completely remodeled lavatory door has an oversized inner door locking knob and an extra handle. The lock can easily be opened due to the larger knob compared to standard doors, while the handle can easily be pushed by the elbow.

First trialled in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in mid-June, there are two different components to the locking mechanism, both able to be operated by one’s elbow. The first involves a sliding lock, which enables a passenger to lock or unlock the door from inside the cubicle. A second door handle allows a passenger to then push the door open, so they can let themselves out easily.

Push door inside lavatory, All Nippon Airways

Sliding lock inside lavatory, All Nippon Airways

The innovation is currently being installed on eleven Boeing 787-8, two Boeing 787-9 and eight Boeing 777-200 aircraft. ANA is looking to introduce the new doors to its entire fleet of both domestic and international aircraft in the future.

Brilliant, in my book. Other major carriers have not made such a splash about what increased hygienic measures to hardware and interiors we will see. Once again, the Japanese are first in with something as great as this. If there’s one country where I feel cleanliness is paramount, it is Japan, and their international companies follow such rigid standards.

It will be interesting to see how many other airlines follow suit, or what alternatives are designed, as we take to the skies once more.