The enhancement of airplane passenger experience increases satisfaction and well-being, especially when air travel exerts physiological stresses. Circadian rhythm dislocation, eating and sleeping schedule disruptions, add on to hypobaric adjustments that the passenger has to cope with. Whilst much improvement to the airplane environmental conditions have been achieved through the deployment of feasible technologies, some fundamental challenges remain, while newer concerns have emerged. Addressing these are essential as these indicate opportunities for innovation as the airline industry emerges from the ravages of the pandemic and has to innovate to enhance competitiveness. This proposal attempts to address four of such challenges:

• dehydration leading to facial dermal discomfort;
• transmission risk of airborne diseases, particularly from undetected neighbouring passengers; and
• diversity of individual preferences to air movement, particularly in the facial region
• sustainable design of localized personal environmental control systems (PECS) concept that can contribute towards energy efficiency

The goal is to elevate user experience by delivering safe (enhanced assurance of mitigating airborne transmission risk), comfortable (reducing facial dehydration and eye dryness), and personalizable (control of air movement).

Providing a solution to mitigate facial dehydration and risk of airborne disease transmission whilst simultaneously enhancing user control of air movement at the face in an integrated PECS system represents a useful scientific application. The data provides evidence of personal response to a targeted (facial) region where the effectiveness of the protection, sensory and dermal reactions are highest.