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The design of airplane cabins has come a long way since the early days of commercial flying, but there's still plenty of room for improvement, as anyone who's battled for elbow room or carry-on luggage space knows.

So make way for a plane whose design draws more on the interiors of hotel rooms and luxury bathrooms than the trusty 747.

The 'E2' aeroplane has 'tablet holders' on headrests in place of the usual mini screens, touchless taps in the toilets, and a whole lot more personal space.

Sleek lines: The seats are designed to give passengers more space

Light and airy: And you get your own personal tablet attached to the headrest in front of you

The design firm behind the rebranded interiors of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, Priestmangoode, has unveiled a new cabin design that'll hit the skies in 2018.

E2, for the Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer, attempts to fix many of the problems of existing cabins, from cramped seating and bathrooms to too-small luggage holds and excessive fuel consumption.

The new design could be used by JetBlue, American Eagle, Delta, and US Airways, which are all clients of Embraer.

The company says its aim is to increase space and efficiency, both for passengers' comfort, and for ecological and economic reasons.

'Your very own PSU': That's light and air control if you didn't know

Luxury seating: If you like the look of the new seats, wait until you see the bathroom

'There's a constant drive in aviation to develop more eco-friendly designs, not just in terms of the materials used, but in improving fuel consumption, explains Paul Priestman, designer and co-founding director of the company.

The company has accordingly reduced the overall weight of the plane by 'slimming down' seating, to create a plane that uses less fuel and frees up more space in the cabin for passengers.

To reduce the impact of the proximity of 'strangers' - presumably they mean fellow passengers - the design includes redesigned, individual Personal Energy Supply Units (PSUs) (the air and light control unit above the seats) which allow each passenger to control the light and air overhead without disturbing their neighbour.

Luxury seating: If you like the look of the new seats, wait until you see the bathroom

Luxury seating: If you like the look of the new seats, wait until you see the bathroom

'Say, for instance, the passenger next to you wanted to turn their reading light on or off, they would need to encroach on your personal space to do so. The redesign addresses that problem,' says Priestman.

Competing with fellow passengers to cram your overstuffed carry-on into the overhead luggage hold could also become a thing of the past, with 40 per cent larger capacity compartments.

The new design does away with much of the material that was unnecessary in current plane cabins, making for a lighter and roomier interior.

As the company describes it, 'less passive aggression between you and all those annoying fellow passengers who keep getting in your space'.

The E2 jets will start flying in 2018.