Cabin Noise Effects on Passengers‘ Comfort, Communication and Cognitive Performance: Results of Two Aircraft Simulation Tests

Abstract

The effects of aircraft cabin noise on passengers’ comfort, communication and cognitive performance were investigated in two aircraft simulation tests in order to show optimization potentials for an improved passenger noise acceptance. During the experiments nine different noise patterns (3 noise levels ranging from 66 to 78 dB(A) combined with 3 different frequencies) were presented to a sample of 199 subjects. The first study was conducted in the acoustic laboratory at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne. The second study validated the results of the first experiment in the aircraft cabin simulator Do 728 at DLR Göttingen. Statistical analysis showed a significant impact of the noise level and the spectral composition of the sound determined by seat position (front, middle, rear in the aircraft cabin) on passengers’ comfort sensation and speech intelligibility of loudspeaker announcements. Cognitive performance, however, was not affected by aircraft cabin noise in both tests.